Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Poltava

For one person, living is cheaper in Poltava: $750 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Poltava
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Poltava Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Poltava

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Poltava

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Poltava actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $750 in Poltava, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Poltava $750

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $954 in Poltava, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Poltava $954

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,157 in Poltava, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Poltava $1,157

Budapest costs about 116% more than Poltava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Poltava is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.45 ₴245

155.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.82 ₴1,473

86.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.92 ₴356

28.66%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.68 ₴75.6

94.05%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.77 ₴34.71

177.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.59 ₴26.44

201.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.94 ₴42.20

294.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.97 ₴88.5

91.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.08 ₴48.39

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.76 ₴34.23

135.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.49 ₴66.9

67.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.95 ₴87.6

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.59 ₴430

15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.23 ₴235

26.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.62 ₴297

121.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.25 ₴55.9

46.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.54 ₴69.0

33.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 ₴82.3

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.31 ₴58.9

197.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.46 ₴20.45

115.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.28 ₴12.67

257.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.45 ₴65.2

8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.65 ₴29.37

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.40 ₴152

134.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.02 ₴225

23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.78 ₴35.16

62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.43 ₴64.1

41.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.32 ₴14.20

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.27 ₴102

45.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.42 ₴18.80

226.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.36 ₴196

354.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.49 ₴66.7

22.15%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.7K ₴1.3M

3.67%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.8K ₴976.8K

55.37%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.3K

$62.4 ₴2,800

174.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$4.89 ₴220

380.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$4.67 ₴209

398.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$20.06 ₴900

236.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.36 ₴330

156.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.10 ₴139

200.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 172.3K

$277 ₴12.4K

92.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$15.1K ₴677.5K

11.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$61.4 ₴2,756

62.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.63 ₴1,779

9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$65.6 ₴2,943

68.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$85.6 ₴3,842

39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$311 ₴14.0K

166.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$263 ₴11.8K

136.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$881 ₴39.6K

561.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$421 ₴18.9K

292.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

17.88

-63.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Poltava: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Poltava

$263 35% 57.8% $359

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Poltava

$169 22.5% 34.6% $89

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Poltava

$102 13.6% 54.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Poltava

$72 9.6% 67% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Poltava

$113 15.1% 32.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Poltava

$26 3.5% 69.5% $60

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Poltava

$5.6 * 0.8% 87.3% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $311 in Poltava. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 292% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $33.00 in Poltava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $169 – making Poltava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Poltava

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

297,600

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Poltava 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Poltava

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Poltava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 116%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,125 in Poltava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Poltava, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $33.00 in Poltava. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Poltava, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Poltava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Poltava – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Poltava. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.