Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shchelkovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shchelkovo: $912 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shchelkovo
Learn more

Shchelkovo Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Shchelkovo

🇷🇺 Russia

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shchelkovo

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $912 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Shchelkovo $912

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,440 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Shchelkovo $1,440

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,969 in Shchelkovo, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Shchelkovo $1,969

Budapest costs about 80% more than Shchelkovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Shchelkovo is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.01 ₽502

133.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$30.10 ₽2,512

102.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.70 ₽643

34.68%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.86 ₽239

20.98%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.98 ₽82.0

111.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.60 ₽49.92

195.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$0.94 ₽78.4

292.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.47 ₽123

158.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$0.94 ₽78.4

23.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.87 ₽72.2

112.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.19 ₽99.2

101.68%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.62 ₽135

146.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.17 ₽766

24.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$5.14 ₽429

33.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$11.94 ₽997

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.59 ₽132

18.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.41 ₽118

51.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.61 ₽134

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.65 ₽221

52.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.72 ₽60.1

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.40 ₽33.64

147.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.47 ₽122

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.40 ₽33.32

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.16 ₽180

271.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.13 ₽595

-13.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.78 ₽65.0

58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.55 ₽129

32.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.49 ₽41.28

224.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.44 ₽204

40.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.20 ₽17.09

565.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$3.58 ₽299

471.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.88 ₽73.3

119.32%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-45.13%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$40.6K ₽3.4M

-14.54%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$106 ₽8,811

65.36%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$3.71 ₽310

536.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$4.90 ₽409

381.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$40.44 ₽3,375

70.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$26.67 ₽2,226

-27.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.21 ₽518

66.02%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$183 ₽15.3K

192.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,642 ₽304.0K

362.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$42.86 ₽3,577

132.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$23.86 ₽1,991

81.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$147 ₽12.2K

-23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$119 ₽9,971

-0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$516 ₽43.1K

61.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$281 ₽23.4K

124.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$866 ₽72.2K

83.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$543 ₽45.3K

120.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,362 ₽197.1K

142.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,410 ₽117.7K

179.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

20.75

-68.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shchelkovo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Shchelkovo

$281 30.8% 55.4% $348

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Shchelkovo

$189 20.8% 27.7% $72

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Shchelkovo

$119 13.1% 47.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Shchelkovo

$114 12.5% 48.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Shchelkovo

$150 16.4% 10.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Shchelkovo

$53 5.8% 40.9% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Shchelkovo

$5.4 * 0.6% 87.6% $39

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 $516 in Shchelkovo. 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 $30.00 in Shchelkovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $189 – making Shchelkovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Shchelkovo

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Shchelkovo 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Shchelkovo

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 Shchelkovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 80%, 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 $1,368 in Shchelkovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shchelkovo, 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 $30.00 in Shchelkovo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 Shchelkovo, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Shchelkovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shchelkovo – 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 Shchelkovo. 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.