Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Yekaterinburg: $1,323 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yekaterinburg

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,323 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Yekaterinburg $1,323

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,179 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Yekaterinburg $2,179

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,034 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Yekaterinburg $3,034

Budapest costs about 23% more than Yekaterinburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Yekaterinburg is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$12.46 ₽1,060

12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$54.5 ₽4,633

10.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$5.98 ₽509

66.56%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.33 ₽198

45.06%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.23 ₽104

73.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.41 ₽34.72

356.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.29 ₽194

63.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.91 ₽247

22.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.18 ₽100

-4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.71 ₽60.6

159.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.24 ₽105

92.74%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.61 ₽137

137.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.93 ₽929

3.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$5.18 ₽440

30.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$13.16 ₽1,119

11.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.01 ₽171

-8.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.69 ₽143

18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.48 ₽126

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.66 ₽226

41.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.62 ₽53.0

54.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.55 ₽46.46

87.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.49 ₽126

4.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.90 ₽76.4

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.38 ₽287

135.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$7.17 ₽609

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.40 ₽119

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.52 ₽214

-17.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.48 ₽40.75

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$17.66 ₽1,502

56.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$4.06 ₽345

-18.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.21 ₽17.88

519.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$4.19 ₽356

372.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.80 ₽67.7

126.25%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-16.33%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$28.6K ₽2.4M

19.15%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$117 ₽9,969

44.94%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$5.94 ₽505

303.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$11.78 ₽1,001

98.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$42.68 ₽3,629

55.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$35.49 ₽3,017

-45.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$6.99 ₽595

36.19%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$342 ₽29.1K

56.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$3,672 ₽312.2K

352.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$134 ₽11.4K

-24.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$102 ₽8,639

-57.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$234 ₽19.9K

-51.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$168 ₽14.3K

-29.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$755 ₽64.2K

6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$455 ₽38.7K

38.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,235 ₽105.0K

25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$937 ₽79.7K

24.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,433 ₽206.8K

130.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,673 ₽142.2K

137.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$946 ₽80.4K

71.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

22.22

-71.06%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Yekaterinburg

$455 33.9% 27.7% $174

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Yekaterinburg

$214 16% 16.9% $44

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Yekaterinburg

$169 12.6% 24.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Yekaterinburg

$135 10.1% 37.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Yekaterinburg

$287 21.4% 69.8% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Yekaterinburg

$57 4.2% 33.6% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Yekaterinburg

$25 1.8% 43.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $755 in Yekaterinburg. 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 72% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $54.0 in Yekaterinburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $214 – making Yekaterinburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

3 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Yekaterinburg 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Yekaterinburg

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 Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,985 in Yekaterinburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yekaterinburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Yekaterinburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $342 in Yekaterinburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yekaterinburg, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Yekaterinburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yekaterinburg – 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 Yekaterinburg. 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.