Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zaporizhzhya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaporizhzhya: $681 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Zaporizhzhya
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Zaporizhzhya Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zaporizhzhya

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$681

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zaporizhzhya

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $681 in Zaporizhzhya, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zaporizhzhya $681

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,064 in Zaporizhzhya, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zaporizhzhya $1,064

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,446 in Zaporizhzhya, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zaporizhzhya $1,446

Budapest costs about 138% more than Zaporizhzhya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zaporizhzhya is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.57 ₴295

112.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$21.86 ₴981

180.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.54 ₴204

124.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.15 ₴51.7

183.48%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.58 ₴26.14

268.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.38 ₴16.96

368.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.85 ₴38.23

336.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.64 ₴73.7

129.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.13 ₴50.9

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.66 ₴29.52

171.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.19 ₴53.4

109.24%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.74 ₴78.0

124.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.98 ₴358

39.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.28 ₴192

54.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.23 ₴280

135.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.22 ₴54.8

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.55 ₴69.4

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.66 ₴74.3

42.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.12 ₴95.3

83.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.73 ₴32.94

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.56 ₴25.28

78.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.20 ₴53.8

31.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.59 ₴26.40

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.85 ₴128

179.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.41 ₴198

41.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.87 ₴38.84

45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.17 ₴52.7

73.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.39 ₴17.54

289.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.36 ₴61.0

143.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.32 ₴14.27

328.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.18 ₴97.9

809.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.54 ₴69.3

18.18%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.8K ₴1.3M

3.35%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$20.0K ₴899.3K

68.76%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$96.6 ₴4,334

77.23%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.52 ₴248

325.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$6.34 ₴285

267.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.38 ₴1,319

129.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.41 ₴198

110.88%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$275 ₴12.3K

94.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,746 ₴123.2K

510.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.75 ₴1,919

133.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.26 ₴1,807

8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$87.4 ₴3,921

26.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$103 ₴4,618

15.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$207 ₴9,274

301.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$159 ₴7,119

292.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$396 ₴17.8K

302.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$311 ₴13.9K

276.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$558 ₴25.0K

946.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$383 ₴17.2K

915.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$483 ₴21.7K

241.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-59.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zaporizhzhya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zaporizhzhya

$159 23.3% 74.5% $463

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zaporizhzhya

$157 23.1% 39.2% $101

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zaporizhzhya

$91 13.4% 59% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zaporizhzhya

$108 15.9% 50.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zaporizhzhya

$123 18.1% 26.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zaporizhzhya

$38 5.6% 55.6% $48

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zaporizhzhya

$4.5 * 0.7% 89.8% $40

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 $207 in Zaporizhzhya. 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 242% 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 Zaporizhzhya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $157 – making Zaporizhzhya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Zaporizhzhya

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

750,685

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Zaporizhzhya 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Zaporizhzhya

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 Zaporizhzhya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 138%, 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 $1,022 in Zaporizhzhya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 64% 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 Zaporizhzhya, where all-in costs run around $681, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zaporizhzhya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zaporizhzhya – 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 Zaporizhzhya. 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.