Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $630 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anshan
Learn more

Anshan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Anshan

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 Anshan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $630 in Anshan.

Budapest $1,619
Anshan $630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,018 in Anshan.

Budapest $2,524
Anshan $1,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,406 in Anshan.

Budapest $3,429
Anshan $1,406

Living in Budapest is roughly 157% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Anshan is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.08 ¥20.59

352.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$18.82 ¥126

225.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.36 ¥29.16

133.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.49 ¥16.65

30.92%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.39 ¥2.58

448.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.23 ¥1.54

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.78 ¥5.25

375.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.66 ¥11.09

127.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.77 ¥11.83

-35.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.29 ¥8.64

38.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.35 ¥2.37

611.43%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.06 ¥7.12

267.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.74 ¥58.4

27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$1.77 ¥11.82

274.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.11 ¥60.9

61.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.06 ¥7.11

72.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.17 ¥7.82

75.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.18 ¥7.88

100.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.17 ¥7.81

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.31 ¥2.09

219.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.89 ¥5.95

12.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.29 ¥1.94

444.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.43 ¥2.89

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.66 ¥24.45

117.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.66 ¥51.2

-18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.77 ¥5.14

64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.10 ¥7.38

84.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.29 ¥1.94

424.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$17.75 ¥119

57.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.07 ¥7.13

209.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.16 ¥1.06

756.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.92 ¥19.53

579.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 ¥7.07

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

52.52%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.2K ¥101.9K

121.87%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$29.30 ¥196

484.03%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.25 ¥48.47

224.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$14.66 ¥98.0

58.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$42.00 ¥281

60.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.17 ¥101

24.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.91 ¥39.53

57.36%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$221 ¥1,478

141.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$21.7K ¥144.9K

-22.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$37.91 ¥253

162.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.24 ¥222

30.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$60.1 ¥402

83.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.2 ¥470

69.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$298 ¥1,996

178.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$184 ¥1,229

238.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$626 ¥4,187

154.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$380 ¥2,540

208.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,597 ¥24.0K

62.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,957 ¥13.1K

98.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$960 ¥6,418

72.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

222.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Anshan

$184 29.2% 70.5% $438

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Anshan

$152 24.1% 41.1% $106

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Anshan

$77 12.3% 65.3% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Anshan

$51 8.1% 76.5% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Anshan

$91 14.4% 45.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Anshan

$54 8.6% 37.5% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 53.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $298 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 72% 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 $19.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,543,696

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Anshan 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 157% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 72% higher in Budapest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $298 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $630 in Anshan – a 157% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $630 in Anshan versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Anshan 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.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.