Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bac Ninh

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $459 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
Learn more

Bac Ninh Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bac Ninh

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $459 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Bac Ninh $459

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $745 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Bac Ninh $745

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,031 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Bac Ninh $1,031

Budapest costs about 253% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Bac Ninh is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.19 ₫30.8K

1071.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.38 ₫605.3K

161.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$2.55 ₫66.0K

299.61%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.14 ₫29.5K

185.96%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.26 ₫6,728

723.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.18 ₫4,682

888.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.66 ₫17.0K

462.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$0.97 ₫25.1K

288.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.47 ₫38.0K

-21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.12 ₫29.0K

59.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.75 ₫19.4K

232.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.50 ₫38.9K

160.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.28 ₫266.1K

7.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.69 ₫95.5K

79.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.16 ₫263.2K

44.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.37 ₫87.3K

-45.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.04 ₫27.0K

97.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.38 ₫35.7K

71.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.10 ₫28.5K

254.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.99 ₫25.7K

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.13 ₫29.3K

-11.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.57 ₫14.8K

177.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.56 ₫14.5K

19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.42 ₫36.8K

460.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$12.35 ₫319.6K

-49.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.90 ₫23.3K

41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.72 ₫44.5K

18.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.37 ₫9,594

310.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.79 ₫20.4K

318.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.57 ₫14.7K

140.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.29 ₫59.4K

765.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.95 ₫24.6K

91.58%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$30.3K ₫783.3M

-1.51%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$29.6K ₫765.7M

14.32%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$84.6 ₫2.2M

102.22%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.33 ₫138.0K

341.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$6.99 ₫181.0K

233.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$11.60 ₫300.2K

482.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.57 ₫195.9K

149.54%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.10 ₫80.2K

200.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$698 ₫18.1M

-23.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.5K ₫324.9M

33.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.29 ₫1.3M

106.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$26.16 ₫677.3K

66.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.8 ₫2.1M

33.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$77.3 ₫2.0M

53.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$701 ₫18.2M

18.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,658 ₫42.9M

251.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$785 ₫20.3M

395.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$378 ₫9.8M

336.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.28

-22.10%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bac Ninh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bac Ninh

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bac Ninh

$196 42.6% 24.1% $62

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bac Ninh

$38 8.2% 83% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bac Ninh

$97 21.1% 55.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bac Ninh

$106 23% 37% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bac Ninh

$18 3.9% 79.3% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bac Ninh

$5.1 * 1.1% 88.4% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $701 in Bac Ninh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 337% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $23.00 in Bac Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $196 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

288,766

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Bac Ninh 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bac Ninh

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 Bac Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 253% more than Bac Ninh, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $688 in Bac Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bac Ninh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $23.00 in Bac Ninh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $459, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bac Ninh costs $459 versus $1,619 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bac Ninh. 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.