Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beihai and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Beihai
🇨🇳 China
$744
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Beihai $744
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Beihai $1,167
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Beihai $1,590
  • Budapest $3,429

Beihai is about 54% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Beihai sits 45% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.40 ¥22.75
$13.94 Ft 4,525
-75.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.56 ¥131
$61.2 Ft 19.9K
-68.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.58 ¥37.31
$10.19 Ft 3,307
-45.24%
Cappuccino
$2.43 ¥16.28
$3.26 Ft 1,060
-25.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.09
$2.14 Ft 694
-78.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ¥1.99
$1.78 Ft 579
-83.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.22 ¥8.14
$3.71 Ft 1,204
-67.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 ¥15.34
$3.77 Ft 1,223
-39.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ¥12.69
$1.15 Ft 372
65.22%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 ¥11.36
$1.79 Ft 580
-5.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.10 ¥7.33
$2.49 Ft 808
-55.82%
Eggs
$1.87 ¥12.53
$3.90 Ft 1,267
-52.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.95 ¥93.3
$11.10 Ft 3,605
25.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.92 ¥19.54
$6.62 Ft 2,149
-55.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.58 ¥70.8
$14.69 Ft 4,769
-27.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 ¥14.03
$1.83 Ft 594
14.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 ¥9.91
$2.05 Ft 664
-27.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.19
$2.37 Ft 769
-35.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ¥8.48
$3.90 Ft 1,266
-67.44%
Potato (1kg)
$0.74 ¥4.92
$0.99 Ft 322
-25.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.46
$1.00 Ft 323
-3.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.47
$1.58 Ft 514
-57.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 ¥3.33
$0.67 Ft 217
-25.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.39 ¥22.70
$7.96 Ft 2,585
-57.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.05 ¥80.6
$6.22 Ft 2,019
93.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥4.95
$1.27 Ft 413
-41.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ¥11.10
$2.03 Ft 658
-18.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 ¥2.02
$1.52 Ft 492
-80.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.17 ¥115
$28.02 Ft 9,098
-38.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.56 ¥10.42
$3.31 Ft 1,075
-52.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$1.37 Ft 444
-77.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.21 ¥41.53
$19.83 Ft 6,438
-68.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ¥9.31
$1.82 Ft 591
-23.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.2K ¥121.6K
$29.8K Ft 9.7M
-38.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.2K ¥121.9K
$33.8K Ft 11.0M
-46.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.5 ¥411
$171 Ft 55.6K
-64.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.42 ¥63.0
$23.51 Ft 7,634
-59.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.09 ¥80.9
$23.29 Ft 7,563
-48.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.99 ¥274
$67.5 Ft 21.9K
-39.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.01 ¥93.7
$18.89 Ft 6,135
-25.83%
Cinema Ticket
$5.71 ¥38.20
$9.30 Ft 3,019
-38.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$458 ¥3,065
$533 Ft 173.2K
-14.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K ¥122.6K
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
9.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.58 ¥325
$99.6 Ft 32.3K
-51.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.03 ¥254
$43.49 Ft 14.1K
-12.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.9 ¥534
$110 Ft 35.8K
-27.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$119 Ft 38.6K
-33.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,863
$830 Ft 269.6K
-66.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$178 ¥1,190
$622 Ft 201.9K
-71.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$718 ¥4,804
$1,594 Ft 517.4K
-54.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥2,221
$1,170 Ft 380.0K
-71.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,665 ¥24.5K
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-37.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,221 ¥14.9K
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-42.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Beihai
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,651 Ft 536.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
6.45
-47.91%

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

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Beihai
$212
Budapest
$258 21.8% $46
Accommodation & Living
Beihai
$178
Budapest
$622 250% $444
Clothing & Footwear
Beihai
$110
Budapest
$168 51.7% $57
Eating Out
Beihai
$87
Budapest
$223 157% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Beihai
$83
Budapest
$218 162% $135
Sport & Entertainment
Beihai
$52
Budapest
$86 64.3% $34
Getting Around
Beihai
$22
Budapest
$44 106% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai 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 $20.00 in Beihai versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $258 – making Beihai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Beihai
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
13:04 1:04 PM
07:04 7:04 AM
6 h behind Beihai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,617,500
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Beihai Budapest 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Beihai
  • 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
Beihai vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Beihai or Budapest?
Budapest costs about 118% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Beihai and in Budapest?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Beihai or Budapest?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Beihai or in Budapest?
Groceries cost about 22% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Beihai and in Budapest?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Beihai or in Budapest?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Beihai or Budapest?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $744 versus $1,619 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Beihai compared to Budapest?
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.
Should I move to Beihai or to Budapest?
If budget matters most, go with Beihai. 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.

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