Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyiv and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyiv: $1,005 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
Learn more

Kyiv Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$1,005

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kyiv and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kyiv and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,005 per month in Kyiv vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyiv $1,005
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,556 per month in Kyiv vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyiv $1,556
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,107 per month in Kyiv vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kyiv $2,107
Budapest $3,489

Kyiv is about 38% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kyiv sits 25% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 ₴495

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 ₴1,522

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-43.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ₴340

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-23.80%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ₴77.2

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-49.11%

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

$0.84 ₴37.58

$2.13 Ft 693

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₴26.73

$1.87 Ft 609

-67.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₴59.0

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-64.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₴88.4

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-44.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ₴60.9

$1.13 Ft 369

20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₴40.34

$1.84 Ft 600

-51.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₴65.4

$2.39 Ft 777

-38.91%

Eggs

$1.97 ₴88.2

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-48.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ₴466

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-8.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 ₴243

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-19.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.90 ₴399

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-39.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₴53.3

$1.84 Ft 598

-35.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₴69.4

$2.01 Ft 654

-22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 ₴83.6

$2.36 Ft 767

-21.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 ₴123

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-27.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 ₴27.07

$0.96 Ft 314

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 ₴22.07

$1.03 Ft 335

-52.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ₴62.1

$1.56 Ft 509

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₴27.05

$0.66 Ft 216

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₴153

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-57.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ₴247

$6.01 Ft 1,956

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₴42.62

$1.30 Ft 422

-26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₴61.1

$2.08 Ft 677

-34.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₴25.50

$1.50 Ft 490

-62.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.05 ₴496

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-59.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₴101

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-31.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ₴19.26

$1.30 Ft 424

-66.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ₴196

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 ₴77.3

$1.81 Ft 591

-4.97%

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

$28.8K ₴1.3M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-1.69%

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

$25.8K ₴1.2M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-24.33%

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

$99.5 ₴4,464

$170 Ft 55.3K

-41.45%

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

$7.19 ₴323

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-70.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.47 ₴290

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-72.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.23 ₴1,625

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-45.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.79 ₴843

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-2.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.65 ₴253

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-40.65%

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

$411 ₴18.4K

$537 Ft 174.8K

-23.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ₴667.4K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-10.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.0 ₴3,321

$101 Ft 33.0K

-26.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.09 ₴1,754

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-9.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ₴4,354

$113 Ft 36.7K

-13.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₴5,369

$119 Ft 38.7K

0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₴28.1K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-22.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₴15.4K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-45.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ₴56.2K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-19.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 ₴27.6K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-47.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ₴118.3K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-53.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,132 ₴50.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-71.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$831 ₴37.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-48.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.88

6.43

178.07%

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

Last update for Kyiv: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyiv

$342 33.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 83.9% $287

Groceries & Markets

Kyiv

$192 19%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 34.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Kyiv

$148 14.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 13.9% $21

Eating Out

Kyiv

$148 14.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 51.5% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyiv

$113 11.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 92.1% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Kyiv

$48 4.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 79.5% $38

Getting Around

Kyiv

$18 1.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 145% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Kyiv versus $805 in Budapest. 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 96% 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 $34.00 in Kyiv versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $258 – making Kyiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h behind Kyiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,908,249 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.99 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.86 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.32 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

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).

USD to UAH in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kyiv Budapest 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kyiv
Budapest

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

Kyiv vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,508 per month in Kyiv and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 150% less in Kyiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $411 per month in Kyiv and $537 in Budapest. 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 Kyiv, where all-in costs run around $1,005, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kyiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyiv – 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 Kyiv. 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.