Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,793 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
Learn more

Moscow Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moscow 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 Moscow and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,793 per month in Moscow vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Moscow $1,793
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,813 per month in Moscow vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Moscow $2,813
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,833 per month in Moscow vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Moscow $3,833
Budapest $3,489

Moscow costs about 11% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Moscow and Budapest sit above the global median – Moscow by 34%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.81 ₽1,005

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-15.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 ₽4,929

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-3.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.25 ₽617

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-27.21%

Cappuccino

$3.64 ₽310

$3.38 Ft 1,100

7.69%

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

$1.65 ₽140

$2.13 Ft 692

-22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₽68.7

$1.87 Ft 608

-56.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 ₽402

$3.75 Ft 1,221

25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 ₽461

$3.57 Ft 1,162

51.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽106

$1.13 Ft 368

10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽85.4

$1.84 Ft 599

-45.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ₽146

$2.39 Ft 777

-28.45%

Eggs

$1.91 ₽163

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-50.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.59 ₽1,242

$11.33 Ft 3,686

28.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ₽566

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 ₽1,230

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₽173

$1.84 Ft 597

10.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ₽158

$2.01 Ft 653

-7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ₽173

$2.36 Ft 767

-13.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 ₽334

$3.77 Ft 1,226

4.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽78.8

$0.96 Ft 313

-3.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽59.9

$1.03 Ft 334

-32.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 ₽132

$1.56 Ft 509

-0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₽81.5

$0.66 Ft 216

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₽291

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-57.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.56 ₽984

$6.01 Ft 1,954

92.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽102

$1.30 Ft 421

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ₽212

$2.08 Ft 676

19.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₽80.9

$1.50 Ft 489

-36.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.22 ₽3,422

$27.61 Ft 8,982

45.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 ₽303

$3.30 Ft 1,074

7.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₽73.0

$1.30 Ft 424

-33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.77 ₽1,001

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-40.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₽76.2

$1.81 Ft 591

-50.28%

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

$38.7K ₽3.3M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

31.98%

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

$38.0K ₽3.2M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

11.45%

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

$191 ₽16.2K

$170 Ft 55.3K

12.29%

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

$8.72 ₽742

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-63.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.98 ₽849

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-57.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 ₽3,587

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-36.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.14 ₽3,841

$19.18 Ft 6,239

135.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 ₽793

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-2.21%

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

$811 ₽69.0K

$537 Ft 174.6K

51.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.0K ₽2.3M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

62.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 ₽9,363

$101 Ft 33.0K

8.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 ₽5,390

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

47.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 ₽12.5K

$113 Ft 36.7K

29.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$184 ₽15.6K

$119 Ft 38.6K

54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 ₽125.0K

$805 Ft 262.0K

82.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ₽69.8K

$629 Ft 204.7K

30.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,026 ₽257.5K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

95.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 ₽127.2K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

28.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,853 ₽838.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

75.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,613 ₽392.5K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

16.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,741 ₽148.1K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

7.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

6.43

204.20%

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

Last update for Moscow: 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

Moscow

$820 44.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 23.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$263 14.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 1.9% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$226 12.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 25.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$210 11.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 3.7% $7.8

Eating Out

Moscow

$204 11.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 9.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$61 3.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 40.3% $25

Getting Around

Moscow

$52 2.8%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 16.3% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,469 in Moscow 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 7% higher in Moscow, 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 $58.0 in Moscow versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $263 in Moscow vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

1 h behind Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moscow Budapest 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Moscow vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Moscow is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,690 per month in Moscow 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $811 per month in Moscow and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Moscow at $1,793. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moscow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moscow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.