Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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 Shakhty
Learn more

Shakhty Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shakhty

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $973 in Shakhty, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Shakhty $973

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,539 in Shakhty, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Shakhty $1,539

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,105 in Shakhty, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Shakhty $2,105

Budapest costs about 69% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Shakhty is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$9.92 ₽828

41.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$37.22 ₽3,106

63.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.74 ₽479

80.66%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.40 ₽201

44.17%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.16 ₽96.5

78.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.57 ₽47.83

210.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.61 ₽134

129.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.63 ₽220

44.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.19 ₽99.1

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.80 ₽66.5

131.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.50 ₽125

60.00%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.62 ₽135

146.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.16 ₽848

12.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$4.96 ₽414

38.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.31 ₽861

40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.69 ₽141

11.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.55 ₽130

38.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.05 ₽171

12.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.05 ₽254

32.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.84 ₽70.3

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.65 ₽53.9

52.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.25 ₽105

26.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.73 ₽60.7

-4.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.89 ₽241

177.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.01 ₽585

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.95 ₽79.3

30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.30 ₽192

-10.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.59 ₽48.93

169.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.26 ₽189

51.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.32 ₽26.88

315.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$6.03 ₽504

239.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.85 ₽70.5

127.06%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-50.67%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-21.12%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$105 ₽8,740

66.72%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$6.49 ₽542

263.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$7.40 ₽618

218.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$32.98 ₽2,752

108.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$26.70 ₽2,229

-27.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.53 ₽461

86.44%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$336 ₽28.1K

59.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,458 ₽539.0K

160.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$72.0 ₽6,010

38.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$45.27 ₽3,779

-4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$109 ₽9,135

2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$115 ₽9,611

3.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$496 ₽41.4K

67.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$304 ₽25.4K

106.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$776 ₽64.7K

104.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$559 ₽46.7K

113.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,448 ₽204.3K

133.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,378 ₽115.0K

186.44%

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 Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 51.6% $325

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 23.4% $61

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Shakhty

$146 15% 35.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 46.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 8.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 50.8% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 85.9% $38

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 $496 in Shakhty. 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 $37.00 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $201 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

235,492

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Shakhty 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 69%, 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 $1,460 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shakhty, 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 $37.00 in Shakhty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shakhty, where all-in costs run around $973, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Shakhty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shakhty – 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 Shakhty. 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.