Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ansan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ansan: $1,404 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Ansan
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,404
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ansan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Ansan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,404 in Ansan.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Ansan $1,404

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $2,148 in Ansan.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Ansan $2,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,892 in Ansan.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Ansan $2,892

Living in Budapest is roughly 15% more expensive than in Ansan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Ansan 4% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$7.57 ₩10.1K
84.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$35.22 ₩47.0K
73.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$6.68 ₩8,918
52.54%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$4.01 ₩5,354
-18.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$1.55 ₩2,071
38.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.76 ₩1,019
134.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$3.50 ₩4,675
6.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$4.61 ₩6,149
-18.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$2.03 ₩2,711
-43.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$3.04 ₩4,052
-41.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$2.34 ₩3,125
6.41%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$3.52 ₩4,691
10.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$15.62 ₩20.8K
-28.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$8.10 ₩10.8K
-18.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$17.14 ₩22.9K
-14.29%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$7.58 ₩10.1K
-75.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$3.18 ₩4,238
-35.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$5.70 ₩7,599
-58.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$6.10 ₩8,132
-36.07%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$3.74 ₩4,989
-73.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$2.54 ₩3,388
-60.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$2.08 ₩2,769
-24.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$1.16 ₩1,542
-42.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$3.32 ₩4,432
139.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$18.70 ₩25.0K
-66.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$2.27 ₩3,022
-44.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$3.19 ₩4,258
-36.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$1.13 ₩1,508
34.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$3.63 ₩4,844
-8.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$0.64 ₩857
114.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$9.03 ₩12.0K
119.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.42 ₩1,895
28.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$29.6K ₩39.5M
0.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$28.1K ₩37.4M
20.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$208 ₩278.1K
-17.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$34.86 ₩46.5K
-32.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$21.07 ₩28.1K
10.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$37.31 ₩49.8K
81.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$11.11 ₩14.8K
-16.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$299 ₩398.9K
78.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$18.0K ₩24.0M
-6.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$57.3 ₩76.5K
73.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$32.80 ₩43.8K
32.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$69.8 ₩93.2K
58.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$81.2 ₩108.4K
46.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$449 ₩598.6K
85.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$379 ₩505.6K
64.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$1,122 ₩1.5M
42.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$740 ₩987.2K
58.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$21.4K ₩28.5M
-72.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Ansan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$1,488 ₩2.0M
10.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
4.08
58.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ansan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Ansan
$379 39.1% $243
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Ansan
$417 61.6% $159
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Ansan
$165 26.1% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Ansan
$264 21.3% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Ansan
$109 35.2% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Ansan
$60 30.9% $27
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Ansan
$11 * 74.3% $33

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 $830 in Budapest and $449 in Ansan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 11% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $35.00 in Ansan. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $417, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇰🇷 Ansan
🕒 Local time
21:01 9:01 PM
04:01 4:01 AM
7 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
677,710
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Ansan 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Ansan

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
Budapest vs Ansan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ansan cheaper than Budapest?
Ansan is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Budapest or Ansan?
Average pay runs 11% higher in Budapest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Budapest and Ansan?
Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $449 in Ansan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $299 in Ansan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Ansan?
Dining out is cheaper in Ansan – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Ansan?
At $1,404 in Ansan versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ansan but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Ansan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Budapest or Ansan more family-friendly?
For families, Ansan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Ansan?
Safety-wise, Budapest and Ansan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ansan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Budapest vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?