Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Balikpapan versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Balikpapan $668
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,048 in Balikpapan versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Balikpapan $1,048
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,428 in Balikpapan versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Balikpapan $1,428
Budapest $3,429

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 59% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balikpapan is 51% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-90.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-82.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-70.07%

Cappuccino

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-58.28%

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

$0.37 Rp 6,712

$2.14 Ft 690

-82.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,871

$1.78 Ft 577

-78.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-39.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-11.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.15 Ft 371

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$1.79 Ft 578

-40.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$2.49 Ft 804

-53.41%

Eggs

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-55.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-45.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$1.83 Ft 591

22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$2.05 Ft 661

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$2.37 Ft 765

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-67.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$0.99 Ft 320

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.00 Ft 322

90.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$1.58 Ft 511

-50.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.67 Ft 216

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-76.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

234.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

$1.27 Ft 411

47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

$2.03 Ft 654

48.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,219

$1.52 Ft 490

-80.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-65.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,777

$1.37 Ft 442

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-86.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.82 Ft 589

-57.69%

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

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-21.59%

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

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-8.19%

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

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$171 Ft 55.3K

-60.57%

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

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-81.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

28.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-64.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-55.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-69.46%

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

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

$533 Ft 172.3K

-82.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-48.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-61.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-57.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$110 Ft 35.7K

27.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$119 Ft 38.4K

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$830 Ft 268.3K

-75.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$622 Ft 200.9K

-76.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 Rp 9.7M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-69.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-78.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 Rp 14.7M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-78.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-85.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

6.45

46.67%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.9%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 24.9% $51

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$148 22.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 321% $474

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$121 18.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 38.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$102 15.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 114% $116

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$57 8.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 288% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 193% $57

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 956% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $203 in Balikpapan and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 594% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Balikpapan vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $258 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

08:26 8:26 AM

6 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Budapest 10,700 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikpapan and Budapest differ by about 142% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $1,619 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 594% lower in Budapest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $203 in Balikpapan versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $93.1 in Balikpapan versus $533 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balikpapan and Budapest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.