Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Surgut

For one person, living is cheaper in Surgut: $1,042 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,641
/mo nomad
Surgut
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,042
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Surgut

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,042 in Surgut, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,641
  • Surgut $1,042

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,638 in Surgut, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,562
  • Surgut $1,638

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,234 in Surgut, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,483
  • Surgut $2,234

Budapest costs about 57% more than Surgut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Surgut is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.04 Ft 4,536
$11.38 ₽950
23.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9 Ft 19.7K
$35.39 ₽2,954
72.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 Ft 3,351
$6.79 ₽566
52.72%
Cappuccino
$3.46 Ft 1,117
$3.05 ₽254
13.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 Ft 669
$1.28 ₽107
61.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 Ft 572
$0.59 ₽49.00
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.69 Ft 1,191
$2.02 ₽168
82.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 Ft 1,229
$2.80 ₽234
35.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 Ft 374
$1.01 ₽84.2
14.85%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 Ft 598
$0.87 ₽72.9
112.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.40 Ft 776
$1.34 ₽112
79.10%
Eggs
$3.99 Ft 1,289
$1.42 ₽118
180.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.40 Ft 3,683
$11.72 ₽978
-2.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.87 Ft 2,221
$5.52 ₽461
24.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.49 Ft 4,682
$11.65 ₽972
24.38%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 Ft 607
$1.50 ₽125
25.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 Ft 693
$1.94 ₽162
10.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 Ft 744
$1.55 ₽130
48.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.04 Ft 1,304
$2.57 ₽214
57.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 Ft 329
$0.73 ₽60.9
39.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$0.65 ₽54.4
52.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 510
$1.50 ₽125
5.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 Ft 225
$0.76 ₽63.1
-7.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.03 Ft 2,594
$3.04 ₽253
164.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.18 Ft 1,997
$8.96 ₽748
-31.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 Ft 401
$1.02 ₽85.0
21.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 Ft 666
$2.07 ₽173
-0.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.59 Ft 513
$0.60 ₽50.1
165.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.52 Ft 8,893
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 Ft 1,110
$2.18 ₽182
57.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 Ft 431
$0.32 ₽27.10
315.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.45 Ft 6,607
$5.20 ₽434
293.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 Ft 624
$0.87 ₽73.0
121.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K Ft 9.4M
$51.3K ₽4.3M
-43.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K Ft 11.2M
$40.8K ₽3.4M
-14.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$175 Ft 56.4K
$112 ₽9,351
55.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.62 Ft 7,631
$6.26 ₽522
277.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.60 Ft 7,625
$8.30 ₽693
184.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.8 Ft 22.2K
$40.01 ₽3,339
72.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.26 Ft 6,224
$27.17 ₽2,268
-29.11%
Cinema Ticket
$10.31 Ft 3,333
$5.41 ₽451
90.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$535 Ft 172.9K
$322 ₽26.9K
66.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$6,007 ₽501.4K
180.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.9 Ft 32.3K
$81.3 ₽6,787
22.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.27 Ft 14.0K
$52.9 ₽4,419
-18.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 Ft 36.1K
$121 ₽10.1K
-8.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$104 ₽8,687
14.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$832 Ft 268.8K
$409 ₽34.1K
103.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 203.3K
$314 ₽26.2K
100.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,586 Ft 512.4K
$1,002 ₽83.6K
58.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 Ft 386.6K
$585 ₽48.8K
104.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,718 Ft 1.8M
$1,995 ₽166.5K
186.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,947 Ft 1.3M
$1,454 ₽121.4K
171.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Surgut
Difference
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 Surgut: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Surgut
$314 50% $315
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$262
Surgut
$211 19.2% $50
Eating Out
Budapest
$226
Surgut
$171 24.4% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$222
Surgut
$127 42.9% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Surgut
$162 3.8% $6.3
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$89
Surgut
$51 43.2% $39
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Surgut
$6.2 * 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 $409 in Surgut. 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 $35.00 in Surgut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $211 – making Surgut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇷🇺 Surgut
🕒 Local time
21:50 9:50 PM
00:50 12:50 AM
3 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
406,938
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Surgut 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Surgut

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 Surgut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Surgut cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,564 in Surgut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Surgut, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Surgut?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $35.00 in Surgut. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Surgut?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Surgut?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surgut, where all-in costs run around $1,042, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Surgut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Surgut more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Surgut – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Surgut?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Surgut. 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.

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