Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bayan Lepas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $737 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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 Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bayan Lepas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $737 in Bayan Lepas.

Budapest $1,621
Bayan Lepas $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $1,228 in Bayan Lepas.

Budapest $2,555
Bayan Lepas $1,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $1,718 in Bayan Lepas.

Budapest $3,489
Bayan Lepas $1,718

Living in Budapest is roughly 120% more expensive than in Bayan Lepas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Bayan Lepas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$3.11 MYR 12.71

349.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$17.08 MYR 69.8

253.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$4.07 MYR 16.63

144.72%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.82 MYR 11.54

19.86%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.85 MYR 3.47

150.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.59 MYR 2.42

216.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$4.76 MYR 19.44

-21.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$4.78 MYR 19.56

-25.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$2.50 MYR 10.21

-54.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$0.95 MYR 3.87

93.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.90 MYR 3.68

165.56%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.03 MYR 8.29

88.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.41 MYR 13.96

97.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$6.75 MYR 27.60

117.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$3.08 MYR 12.58

-40.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.60 MYR 6.52

25.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.15 MYR 12.88

-25.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.19 MYR 4.88

216.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.32 MYR 5.39

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.21 MYR 4.93

-14.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.71 MYR 2.89

119.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.67 MYR 2.74

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$5.08 MYR 20.75

56.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$19.89 MYR 81.3

-69.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.67 MYR 2.74

123.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$14.74 MYR 60.3

87.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.61 MYR 6.57

104.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.74 MYR 3.04

144.59%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$24.26 MYR 99.2

600.49%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.88 MYR 48.55

101.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$30.77 MYR 126

-23.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$29.52 MYR 121

124.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$7.26 MYR 29.68

164.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$4.87 MYR 19.89

95.48%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$39.73 MYR 162

155.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$26.50 MYR 108

62.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$65.2 MYR 267

72.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$82.3 MYR 337

44.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$194 MYR 792

315.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$222 MYR 908

183.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$499 MYR 2,038

210.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$575 MYR 2,350

103.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$970 MYR 3,965

67.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.5

83.71%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Bayan Lepas

$222 30.1% 64.7% $407

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25% 28.6% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Bayan Lepas

$110 14.9% 50.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.1% 69.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Bayan Lepas

$96 13% 43.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3% 54% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6% 56.2% $24

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 $805 in Budapest and $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 68% 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: $60.0 in Budapest vs $17.00 in Bayan Lepas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $184 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

12:53 12:53 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

217,600

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Bayan Lepas 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Bayan Lepas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Bayan Lepas differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $737 including rent). Bayan Lepas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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: $805 in Budapest versus $194 in Bayan Lepas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $60.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 87% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $737 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Bayan Lepas 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 Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.