Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Rostov-on-Don

For one person, living is cheaper in Rostov-on-Don: $1,137 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Rostov-on-Don
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Rostov-on-Don Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Rostov-on-Don

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Rostov-on-Don

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 Rostov-on-Don actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,137 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Rostov-on-Don $1,137

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,585 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Rostov-on-Don $1,585

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,032 in Rostov-on-Don, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Rostov-on-Don $2,032

Budapest costs about 42% more than Rostov-on-Don, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Rostov-on-Don is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.91 ₽911

27.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$24.73 ₽2,064

147.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.66 ₽472

80.04%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.83 ₽236

15.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.10 ₽91.9

94.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.48 ₽39.90

270.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.16 ₽97.0

219.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.90 ₽242

30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.08 ₽90.1

6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.72 ₽60.0

148.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.26 ₽105

97.62%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.41 ₽117

176.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.38 ₽783

18.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.08 ₽424

30.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.03 ₽670

82.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.41 ₽117

29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.79 ₽149

14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.42 ₽119

66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.27 ₽190

71.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.67 ₽56.0

47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.59 ₽49.05

69.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.03 ₽86.2

53.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.65 ₽54.6

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.70 ₽226

194.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.10 ₽509

1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.87 ₽72.7

45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.97 ₽165

3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.53 ₽44.36

186.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$14.26 ₽1,190

96.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.59 ₽300

-7.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.14 ₽11.52

878.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.91 ₽327

407.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.82 ₽68.4

121.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.8K ₽2.4M

3.64%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$31.3K ₽2.6M

7.98%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$124 ₽10.3K

38.28%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.20 ₽601

226.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$8.59 ₽717

171.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$33.15 ₽2,767

103.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.83 ₽1,739

-9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.38 ₽449

72.86%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$363 ₽30.3K

46.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$55.2 ₽4,605

80.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$44.18 ₽3,687

-1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$107 ₽8,917

3.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$104 ₽8,685

14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$624 ₽52.1K

33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$460 ₽38.4K

35.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$895 ₽74.7K

77.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$568 ₽47.4K

105.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,317 ₽193.3K

151.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,465 ₽122.3K

165.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$822 ₽68.6K

100.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

19.83

-67.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rostov-on-Don: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Rostov-on-Don

$460 40.5% 26% $161

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Rostov-on-Don

$177 15.5% 31.5% $81

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Rostov-on-Don

$156 13.7% 30% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3% 36% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Rostov-on-Don

$140 12.3% 16.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Rostov-on-Don

$44 3.9% 49% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Rostov-on-Don

$21 1.8% 53.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $624 in Rostov-on-Don. 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 101% 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 $25.00 in Rostov-on-Don. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $177 – making Rostov-on-Don the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Rostov-on-Don

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,114,806

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Rostov-on-Don 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Rostov-on-Don

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 Rostov-on-Don: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,706 in Rostov-on-Don. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 96% less in Rostov-on-Don. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $363 in Rostov-on-Don. 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 Rostov-on-Don, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Rostov-on-Don it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rostov-on-Don – 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 Rostov-on-Don. 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.