Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,085 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,085

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,085 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Qapshaghay $1,085

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,623 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Qapshaghay $1,623

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,161 in Qapshaghay, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Qapshaghay $2,161

Budapest costs about 51% more than Qapshaghay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Qapshaghay is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$10.91 ₸4,930

28.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$22.55 ₸10.2K

170.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$6.49 ₸2,932

59.78%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.73 ₸782

100.00%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.99 ₸445

109.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.69 ₸310

156.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.37 ₸619

169.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.35 ₸611

181.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.72 ₸778

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.48 ₸216

285.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.08 ₸940

15.38%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.48 ₸1,121

60.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$12.49 ₸5,646

-8.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.49 ₸2,934

5.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.71 ₸4,841

35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.79 ₸809

5.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.39 ₸1,079

-10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$3.03 ₸1,369

-24.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.79 ₸1,262

44.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.80 ₸363

27.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.55 ₸249

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.60 ₸723

-1.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.04 ₸471

-32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$1.63 ₸736

392.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$11.11 ₸5,021

-44.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.26 ₸572

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.48 ₸1,119

-16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.16 ₸70.2

893.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$17.23 ₸7,791

59.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$0.87 ₸393

294.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.70 ₸315

90.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$4.03 ₸1,822

407.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.56 ₸254

244.64%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.5K ₸10.2M

29.23%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$29.7K ₸13.4M

16.82%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$90.0 ₸40.7K

93.90%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$10.64 ₸4,809

121.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$18.21 ₸8,232

29.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.59 ₸18.8K

65.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.82 ₸3,083

51.17%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$146 ₸66.2K

265.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,474 ₸2.0M

276.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$91.5 ₸41.4K

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$45.71 ₸20.7K

-5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$143 ₸64.5K

-21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$132 ₸59.6K

-9.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$450 ₸203.3K

84.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$312 ₸141.1K

101.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$721 ₸325.8K

120.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$487 ₸220.2K

145.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,085 ₸490.3K

427.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$872 ₸394.4K

352.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

20.65

-68.77%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Qapshaghay

$312 28.8% 50.4% $317

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Qapshaghay

$248 22.8% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Qapshaghay

$144 13.2% 36.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Qapshaghay

$119 11% 46.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 10.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1% 38.3% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Qapshaghay

$22 2.1% 49.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $450 in Qapshaghay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $23.00 in Qapshaghay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $248 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

42,167

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Qapshaghay 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,627 in Qapshaghay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 60% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $146 in Qapshaghay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,085, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qapshaghay – 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 Qapshaghay. 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.