Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Smolensk

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolensk: $1,068 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Smolensk
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Smolensk Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Smolensk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Smolensk

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,068 in Smolensk, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Smolensk $1,068

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,602 in Smolensk, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Smolensk $1,602

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,137 in Smolensk, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Smolensk $2,137

Budapest costs about 52% more than Smolensk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.38 ₽867

34.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.07 ₽2,677

90.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.92 ₽577

47.25%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.53 ₽211

28.85%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.95 ₽79.6

125.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.55 ₽46.12

223.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.74 ₽145

113.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.97 ₽248

26.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.15 ₽96.0

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.76 ₽63.3

135.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.36 ₽114

83.09%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.53 ₽128

154.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.28 ₽942

-1.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.13 ₽428

29.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.03 ₽921

33.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.78 ₽149

2.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.84 ₽154

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.75 ₽146

35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.72 ₽227

43.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.82 ₽68.3

20.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.56 ₽46.80

78.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.30 ₽108

21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.67 ₽56.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.10 ₽259

156.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.18 ₽599

-13.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.98 ₽81.5

29.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.87 ₽156

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.56 ₽47.15

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.13 ₽178

55.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.33 ₽27.20

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.97 ₽415

298.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.84 ₽69.9

116.67%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$32.4K ₽2.7M

-8.01%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.7K ₽2.9M

-2.58%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$135 ₽11.3K

26.59%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.99 ₽500

292.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.07 ₽757

156.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.80 ₽2,654

112.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$23.76 ₽1,983

-20.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.34 ₽529

46.69%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$338 ₽28.2K

57.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,938 ₽579.0K

141.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$90.7 ₽7,567

9.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$51.4 ₽4,292

-15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$132 ₽11.0K

-16.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$103 ₽8,590

15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$487 ₽40.6K

70.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$339 ₽28.3K

83.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$789 ₽65.8K

102.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$527 ₽44.0K

122.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,481 ₽207.1K

135.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,309 ₽109.2K

197.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$753 ₽62.9K

119.25%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Smolensk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Smolensk

$339 31.8% 45.5% $283

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Smolensk

$204 19.1% 21% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Smolensk

$155 14.5% 30.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Smolensk

$150 14.1% 31.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Smolensk

$170 15.9% 1.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Smolensk

$44 4.2% 48.4% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Smolensk

$6 * 0.6% 86.4% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $487 in Smolensk. 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 119% 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 $32.00 in Smolensk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Smolensk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Smolensk

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

325,495

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.84 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Smolensk 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Smolensk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,602 in Smolensk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Smolensk, 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 $32.00 in Smolensk. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 Smolensk, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Smolensk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Smolensk – 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 Smolensk. 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.