Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qapshaghay and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,077 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,077

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Qapshaghay vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,077
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,621 per month in Qapshaghay vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Qapshaghay $1,621
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,166 per month in Qapshaghay vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Qapshaghay $2,166
Budapest $3,429

Qapshaghay is about 33% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 ₸4,967

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-21.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.25 ₸10.1K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-63.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.64 ₸3,002

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-34.84%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₸827

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-43.87%

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

$1.03 ₸464

$2.14 Ft 690

-51.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₸292

$1.78 Ft 577

-63.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₸583

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-65.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₸594

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-65.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₸760

$1.15 Ft 371

46.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₸203

$1.79 Ft 578

-74.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 ₸952

$2.49 Ft 804

-15.26%

Eggs

$2.47 ₸1,118

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-36.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 ₸5,546

$11.10 Ft 3,587

10.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ₸2,955

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.87 ₸4,913

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-26.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₸811

$1.83 Ft 591

-2.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₸1,033

$2.05 Ft 661

11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ₸1,305

$2.37 Ft 765

21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 ₸1,289

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₸339

$0.99 Ft 320

-24.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₸263

$1.00 Ft 322

-42.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₸731

$1.58 Ft 511

2.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸449

$0.67 Ft 216

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.59 ₸720

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-80.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ₸5,070

$6.22 Ft 2,009

80.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₸570

$1.27 Ft 411

-0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ₸1,088

$2.03 Ft 654

18.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 ₸85.5

$1.52 Ft 490

-87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ₸7,606

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-39.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₸365

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-75.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸290

$1.37 Ft 442

-53.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ₸1,789

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-80.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₸260

$1.82 Ft 589

-68.68%

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

$21.9K ₸9.9M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-26.60%

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

$29.7K ₸13.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-12.29%

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

$90.4 ₸40.9K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-47.17%

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

$10.66 ₸4,820

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-54.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.21 ₸8,233

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-21.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 ₸18.9K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-38.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₸2,935

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-30.22%

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

$145 ₸65.7K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-72.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,498 ₸2.0M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-73.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 ₸41.0K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.03 ₸20.8K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

5.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 ₸63.8K

$110 Ft 35.7K

27.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₸60.5K

$119 Ft 38.4K

12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₸199.5K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-46.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ₸137.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-51.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ₸324.4K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-54.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₸223.8K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-57.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 ₸538.3K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-79.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 ₸347.4K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-80.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.65

6.45

220.16%

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

Last update for Qapshaghay: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Qapshaghay

$305 28.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 104% $317

Groceries & Markets

Qapshaghay

$246 22.8%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Qapshaghay

$185 17.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 9.6% $18

Eating Out

Qapshaghay

$146 13.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 53.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qapshaghay

$119 11.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 82.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Qapshaghay

$55 5.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 57.1% $31

Getting Around

Qapshaghay

$22 2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 105% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $441 in Qapshaghay versus $830 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Qapshaghay versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $258 – making Qapshaghay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

4 h behind Qapshaghay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,167

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qapshaghay Budapest 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Qapshaghay
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

Qapshaghay vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Qapshaghay and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 67% less in Qapshaghay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in Qapshaghay and $533 in Budapest. 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 Qapshaghay, where all-in costs run around $1,077, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Qapshaghay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qapshaghay – 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 Qapshaghay. 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.