Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semey and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Semey
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Semey Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $712 per month in Semey vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Semey $712
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,147 per month in Semey vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Semey $1,147
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,581 per month in Semey vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Semey $1,581
Budapest $3,429

Semey is about 56% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Semey sits 47% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 ₸2,261

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-64.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ₸9,891

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-64.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.48 ₸2,477

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-46.22%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ₸764

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-48.16%

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

$0.79 ₸357

$2.14 Ft 690

-63.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₸216

$1.78 Ft 577

-73.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.85 ₸384

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-77.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₸621

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-63.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 ₸449

$1.15 Ft 371

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ₸165

$1.79 Ft 578

-79.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ₸839

$2.49 Ft 804

-25.30%

Eggs

$1.51 ₸681

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-61.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.36 ₸2,424

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-51.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ₸1,691

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-43.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.28 ₸2,388

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-64.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₸547

$1.83 Ft 591

-33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ₸782

$2.05 Ft 661

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 ₸821

$2.37 Ft 765

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 ₸756

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-57.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 ₸189

$0.99 Ft 320

-57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₸255

$1.00 Ft 322

-44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 ₸595

$1.58 Ft 511

-16.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₸445

$0.67 Ft 216

47.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₸1,134

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-68.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 ₸3,221

$6.22 Ft 2,009

14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₸617

$1.27 Ft 411

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₸993

$2.03 Ft 654

8.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₸104

$1.52 Ft 490

-84.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.26 ₸7,802

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-38.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₸588

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-60.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₸519

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.52 ₸2,949

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-67.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 ₸305

$1.82 Ft 589

-62.64%

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

$25.4K ₸11.5M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-14.92%

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

$25.9K ₸11.7M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-23.48%

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

$32.84 ₸14.8K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-80.81%

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

$9.06 ₸4,095

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-61.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.03 ₸8,604

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.09 ₸19.0K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-37.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.97 ₸4,959

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-41.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₸2,058

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-51.08%

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

$135 ₸61.1K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-74.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,484 ₸2.0M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-73.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.65 ₸13.0K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-71.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.32 ₸11.4K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-41.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ₸44.3K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.0 ₸33.5K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₸153.6K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-59.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₸103.8K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-63.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₸278.1K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-61.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₸220.1K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-58.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,094 ₸494.4K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-81.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$869 ₸392.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-77.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.25

6.45

198.45%

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

Last update for Semey: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Semey

$230 32.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 171% $392

Groceries & Markets

Semey

$155 21.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 66.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Semey

$102 14.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 64.8% $66

Eating Out

Semey

$89 12.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 151% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semey

$61 8.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 258% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Semey

$51 7.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 68.2% $35

Getting Around

Semey

$25 3.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 75.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Semey 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 Semey versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $258 – making Semey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Semey

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

09:15 9:15 AM

4 h behind Semey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,456

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Semey Budapest 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Semey
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

Semey vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,068 per month in Semey 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 Semey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Semey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Semey and $533 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 Semey, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Semey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Semey – 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 Semey. 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.