Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhytomyr

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhytomyr: $751 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Zhytomyr
Learn more

Zhytomyr Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhytomyr

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$751

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhytomyr

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $751 in Zhytomyr, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhytomyr $751

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,169 in Zhytomyr, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhytomyr $1,169

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,586 in Zhytomyr, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhytomyr $1,586

Budapest costs about 115% more than Zhytomyr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhytomyr is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.76 ₴393

59.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$25.87 ₴1,161

136.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.73 ₴212

115.43%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.41 ₴63.2

131.21%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.54 ₴24.32

296.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.32 ₴14.20

456.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.70 ₴31.50

430.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.30 ₴58.3

190.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.07 ₴48.00

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.72 ₴32.40

148.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.74 ₴78.2

43.10%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.87 ₴83.7

108.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.47 ₴470

6.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.86 ₴173

71.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.03 ₴271

143.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.93 ₴41.84

96.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.43 ₴64.1

43.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.47 ₴65.8

61.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.14 ₴186

-5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.80 ₴36.11

23.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.82 ₴36.89

21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.09 ₴48.71

44.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.65 ₴29.28

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.58 ₴161

122.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.36 ₴196

42.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.97 ₴43.66

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.57 ₴70.7

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.32 ₴14.16

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$8.81 ₴396

218.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.80 ₴80.8

83.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.33 ₴14.80

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.46 ₴156

473.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.45 ₴65.0

25.52%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.2K ₴1.3M

1.94%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.2K ₴1.1M

39.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$84.0 ₴3,772

103.62%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.34 ₴240

340.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$4.48 ₴201

419.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$26.99 ₴1,211

150.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$16.41 ₴737

15.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.36 ₴196

113.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$159 ₴7,125

235.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$1,690 ₴75.9K

891.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$62.6 ₴2,808

59.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$27.81 ₴1,248

56.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.4 ₴3,205

54.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$77.1 ₴3,462

54.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$332 ₴14.9K

149.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$216 ₴9,703

187.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$512 ₴23.0K

211.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$369 ₴16.6K

216.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,047 ₴47.0K

456.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$860 ₴38.6K

352.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$463 ₴20.8K

256.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

19.6

-67.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhytomyr: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhytomyr

$216 28.8% 65.2% $406

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhytomyr

$174 23.2% 32.6% $84

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhytomyr

$111 14.7% 50.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhytomyr

$94 12.5% 56.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhytomyr

$108 14.3% 35.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhytomyr

$36 4.8% 58.5% $50

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhytomyr

$14 1.8% 69.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $332 in Zhytomyr. 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 256% 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 $26.00 in Zhytomyr. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $174 – making Zhytomyr the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇦 Zhytomyr

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

19:23 7:23 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

267,610

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.47 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Zhytomyr 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Zhytomyr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 115%, 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 $1,127 in Zhytomyr. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 218% less in Zhytomyr. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $159 in Zhytomyr. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhytomyr, where all-in costs run around $751, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhytomyr it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhytomyr – 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 Zhytomyr. 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.