Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Serov

For one person, living is cheaper in Serov: $1,074 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Serov
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Serov Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Serov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Serov

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,074 in Serov, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Serov $1,074

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,647 in Serov, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Serov $1,647

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,219 in Serov, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Serov $2,219

Budapest costs about 53% more than Serov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$9.76 ₽814

43.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$34.37 ₽2,869

77.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.89 ₽492

76.06%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.53 ₽211

36.76%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.02 ₽85.0

102.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.61 ₽50.8

190.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.93 ₽161

91.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.07 ₽256

23.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.30 ₽109

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.78 ₽65.2

137.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.23 ₽103

95.12%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.63 ₽136

144.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$12.63 ₽1,054

-9.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$5.03 ₽420

36.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.31 ₽860

40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.87 ₽156

0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.79 ₽149

19.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.81 ₽151

27.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.12 ₽260

29.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.73 ₽60.5

39.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.56 ₽46.63

76.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.35 ₽113

17.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.71 ₽58.9

-1.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.26 ₽272

146.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.56 ₽631

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.03 ₽85.9

20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.74 ₽145

18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.62 ₽51.6

156.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.74 ₽229

25.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.40 ₽33.28

232.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$5.15 ₽430

297.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.72 ₽60.1

168.06%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$55.9K ₽4.7M

-47.85%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$44.7K ₽3.7M

-22.28%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$124 ₽10.4K

40.75%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$5.67 ₽473

316.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$7.30 ₽609

223.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$36.44 ₽3,041

88.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$24.15 ₽2,016

-20.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.97 ₽582

47.92%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$371 ₽30.9K

44.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,911 ₽576.8K

143.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$74.7 ₽6,238

33.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$47.40 ₽3,956

-8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$132 ₽11.0K

-15.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$96.4 ₽8,045

23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$405 ₽33.8K

105.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$364 ₽30.3K

73.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$893 ₽74.6K

77.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$623 ₽52.0K

92.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,348 ₽196.0K

143.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,629 ₽135.9K

142.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

21.45

-69.93%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Serov: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Serov

$364 33.8% 42.2% $266

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Serov

$210 19.6% 19.7% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Serov

$148 13.8% 34.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Serov

$137 12.8% 38.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Serov

$158 14.7% 6.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Serov

$50 4.7% 43.7% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Serov

$7.2 * 0.7% 83.6% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $405 in Serov. 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 $34.00 in Serov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $210 – making Serov the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Serov

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

02:44 2:44 AM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

97,366

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Serov 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Serov

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 Serov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, 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 $1,611 in Serov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serov, 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 $34.00 in Serov. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Serov, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Serov it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Serov – 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 Serov. 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.