Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Baiquan

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $729 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Baiquan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $729 in Baiquan.

Budapest $1,619
Baiquan $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,151 in Baiquan.

Budapest $2,524
Baiquan $1,151

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,574 in Baiquan.

Budapest $3,429
Baiquan $1,574

Living in Budapest is roughly 122% more expensive than in Baiquan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Baiquan is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.84 ¥18.96

390.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$20.15 ¥135

203.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.99 ¥33.35

104.21%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.76 ¥18.48

18.12%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.50 ¥3.35

328.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.31 ¥2.07

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.07 ¥7.13

246.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.08 ¥13.93

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.79 ¥11.94

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.49 ¥9.99

20.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.97 ¥6.50

156.70%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.76 ¥11.75

121.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.56 ¥90.7

-18.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.92 ¥19.55

126.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.54 ¥63.8

53.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.12 ¥14.21

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.45 ¥9.69

41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.31 ¥8.79

80.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.30 ¥8.69

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.65 ¥4.37

52.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.92 ¥6.15

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.59 ¥3.93

167.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.63 ¥4.21

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.24 ¥21.67

145.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.19 ¥74.8

-44.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.78 ¥5.20

62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.57 ¥10.48

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.29 ¥1.92

424.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$17.29 ¥116

62.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.65 ¥11.02

100.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 ¥2.33

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.38 ¥49.36

168.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 ¥8.34

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$18.2K ¥121.5K

63.94%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.5K ¥103.4K

118.69%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$54.4 ¥363

214.79%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.68 ¥64.7

142.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.50 ¥70.2

121.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$36.83 ¥246

83.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$16.25 ¥109

16.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.03 ¥40.35

54.23%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$450 ¥3,008

18.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.8K ¥112.4K

-0.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.80 ¥326

104.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.35 ¥250

16.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$80.3 ¥537

37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$79.4 ¥531

49.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$295 ¥1,971

181.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$187 ¥1,252

232.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$697 ¥4,660

128.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$356 ¥2,379

228.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,812 ¥25.5K

52.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,827 ¥12.2K

112.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.36

91.96%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Baiquan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Baiquan

$187 25.7% 69.9% $435

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Baiquan

$202 27.7% 21.8% $56

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Baiquan

$84 11.5% 62.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Baiquan

$75 10.2% 65.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Baiquan

$111 15.2% 34% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Baiquan

$49 6.7% 43.2% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Baiquan

$22 3% 50.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $295 in Baiquan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $20.00 in Baiquan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $202 per month, with Baiquan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Baiquan 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Baiquan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baiquan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,428 in Budapest and $1,093 in Baiquan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $295 in Baiquan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $450 in Baiquan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Baiquan versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baiquan 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 Baiquan 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 Baiquan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.