Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nizhny Novgorod and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Nizhny Novgorod: $1,207 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nizhny Novgorod
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Nizhny Novgorod Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Nizhny Novgorod

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,207

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Nizhny Novgorod vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Nizhny Novgorod $1,207
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Nizhny Novgorod vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Nizhny Novgorod $1,841
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Nizhny Novgorod vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Nizhny Novgorod $2,474
Budapest $3,489

Nizhny Novgorod is about 26% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nizhny Novgorod sits 10% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 ₽1,182

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 ₽4,560

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-11.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 ₽618

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-27.01%

Cappuccino

$3.16 ₽269

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-6.51%

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

$1.73 ₽147

$2.13 Ft 693

-18.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₽63.9

$1.87 Ft 609

-59.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 ₽158

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-50.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ₽314

$3.57 Ft 1,163

3.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽99.8

$1.13 Ft 369

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₽67.2

$1.84 Ft 600

-57.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 ₽117

$2.39 Ft 777

-42.26%

Eggs

$1.54 ₽131

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-59.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 ₽974

$11.33 Ft 3,689

1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 ₽402

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-29.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 ₽1,132

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 ₽147

$1.84 Ft 598

-5.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ₽146

$2.01 Ft 654

-14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ₽145

$2.36 Ft 767

-27.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 ₽308

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-3.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ₽53.3

$0.96 Ft 314

-34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 ₽50.9

$1.03 Ft 335

-41.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₽105

$1.56 Ft 509

-21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽62.9

$0.66 Ft 216

12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₽243

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-64.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.21 ₽698

$6.01 Ft 1,956

36.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₽96.5

$1.30 Ft 422

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₽201

$2.08 Ft 677

13.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.87

$1.50 Ft 490

-69.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.41 ₽1,480

$27.61 Ft 8,991

-36.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ₽173

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-38.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ₽36.39

$1.30 Ft 424

-66.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 ₽587

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-65.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 ₽67.6

$1.81 Ft 591

-56.35%

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

$40.6K ₽3.5M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

38.52%

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

$31.8K ₽2.7M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-6.79%

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

$139 ₽11.8K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-18.30%

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

$6.85 ₽583

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-71.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 ₽656

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-67.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.93 ₽2,799

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-50.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.77 ₽2,191

$19.18 Ft 6,245

34.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ₽594

$9.52 Ft 3,101

-26.58%

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

$307 ₽26.1K

$537 Ft 174.8K

-42.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,820 ₽579.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-58.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.5 ₽5,827

$101 Ft 33.0K

-32.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 ₽4,562

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

24.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 ₽11.8K

$113 Ft 36.7K

23.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 ₽6,837

$119 Ft 38.7K

-32.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₽51.4K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ₽36.0K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-32.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 ₽74.5K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-43.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₽51.5K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-48.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,235 ₽275.1K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-42.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,010 ₽170.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-49.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$971 ₽82.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-40.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.04

6.43

227.22%

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

Last update for Nizhny Novgorod: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nizhny Novgorod

$424 34.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 48.4% $205

Groceries & Markets

Nizhny Novgorod

$217 17.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 18.8% $41

Eating Out

Nizhny Novgorod

$197 16.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 13.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nizhny Novgorod

$154 12.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 9.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nizhny Novgorod

$153 12.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 41.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Nizhny Novgorod

$47 3.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 81.8% $38

Getting Around

Nizhny Novgorod

$23 1.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 85.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $605 in Nizhny Novgorod 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 67% 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 $54.0 in Nizhny Novgorod versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $258 – making Nizhny Novgorod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Nizhny Novgorod

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h behind Nizhny Novgorod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,244,254

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 = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.36 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 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 RUB in detail →

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Between locations

Nizhny Novgorod Budapest 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nizhny Novgorod
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

Nizhny Novgorod vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Nizhny Novgorod 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 Nizhny Novgorod, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Nizhny Novgorod. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $307 per month in Nizhny Novgorod 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 Nizhny Novgorod, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Nizhny Novgorod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nizhny Novgorod – 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 Nizhny Novgorod. 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.