Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Taraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Taraz: $628 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Taraz
Learn more

Taraz Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Taraz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Taraz

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $628 in Taraz, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Taraz $628

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,004 in Taraz, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Taraz $1,004

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,381 in Taraz, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Taraz $1,381

Budapest costs about 158% more than Taraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Taraz is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.97 ₸4,056

55.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.50 ₸10.2K

172.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.75 ₸3,051

50.96%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.53 ₸691

113.07%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.85 ₸383

151.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.45 ₸204

295.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.13 ₸510

228.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.81 ₸818

108.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.09 ₸491

5.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.43 ₸196

316.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.30 ₸589

91.54%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.68 ₸761

132.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.13 ₸4,580

9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.19 ₸2,346

27.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.39 ₸3,794

75.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.15 ₸519

59.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.21 ₸997

-7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.48 ₸1,122

-4.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.37 ₸621

184.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.56 ₸251

76.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.40 ₸181

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.91 ₸411

73.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.84 ₸380

-20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.42 ₸1,093

228.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.41 ₸1,995

41.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.04 ₸468

22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.54 ₸696

31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.18 ₸82.4

744.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.85 ₸385

289.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 ₸158

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.07 ₸1,839

387.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.66 ₸301

175.76%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.1K ₸12.7M

5.97%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.6K ₸12.5M

22.42%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$47.60 ₸21.5K

259.50%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.76 ₸3,960

168.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.00 ₸4,068

158.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$35.98 ₸16.3K

87.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.42 ₸1,996

110.41%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$58.8 ₸26.6K

807.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$26.80 ₸12.1K

271.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$34.70 ₸15.7K

25.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$113 ₸50.9K

-2.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$52.6 ₸23.8K

126.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$270 ₸121.9K

207.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$110 ₸49.6K

467.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$449 ₸203.2K

254.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$200 ₸90.4K

485.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$865 ₸391.1K

573.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$611 ₸276.3K

536.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$272 ₸123.0K

507.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

17.83

-63.83%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taraz: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Taraz

$110 17.5% 82.4% $512

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Taraz

$178 28.3% 31.1% $80

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Taraz

$125 19.9% 44% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Taraz

$65 10.4% 70% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Taraz

$102 16.3% 39.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Taraz

$45 7.1% 48% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Taraz

$3.3 * 0.5% 92.5% $41

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 $270 in Taraz. 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 507% 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 $22.00 in Taraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $178 – making Taraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇿 Taraz

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

4 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

431,160

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Taraz 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Taraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 158%, 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 $942 in Taraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taraz, 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 $22.00 in Taraz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taraz, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Taraz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taraz – 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 Taraz. 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.