Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
Learn more

Bengbu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bengbu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $666 in Bengbu.

Budapest $1,619
Bengbu $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,043 in Bengbu.

Budapest $2,524
Bengbu $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,420 in Bengbu.

Budapest $3,429
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Budapest is roughly 143% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Bengbu is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$2.31 ¥15.42

503.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$10.50 ¥70.2

483.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$4.76 ¥31.81

114.08%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.15 ¥21.09

3.49%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.47 ¥3.16

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.25 ¥1.66

612.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.45 ¥9.67

155.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.21 ¥14.75

70.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$2.18 ¥14.57

-47.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.02 ¥6.82

75.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$0.72 ¥4.85

245.83%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$1.32 ¥8.83

195.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$10.42 ¥69.7

6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$3.04 ¥20.30

117.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$9.00 ¥60.2

63.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.50 ¥10.03

22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.07 ¥7.13

91.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.52 ¥10.16

55.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$0.78 ¥5.22

400.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.62 ¥4.16

59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.63 ¥4.20

58.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.76 ¥5.09

107.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.43 ¥2.90

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$2.93 ¥19.57

171.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$6.10 ¥40.82

1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.76 ¥5.11

67.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.47 ¥9.86

38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.31 ¥2.09

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$20.48 ¥137

36.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.61 ¥10.76

105.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.38 ¥2.57

260.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$9.15 ¥61.2

116.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.29 ¥8.66

41.09%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.2K ¥128.4K

55.18%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$16.6K ¥111.3K

103.23%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$36.70 ¥245

366.27%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$5.39 ¥36.02

336.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$7.07 ¥47.25

229.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$41.28 ¥276

63.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$16.25 ¥109

16.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$5.99 ¥40.08

55.26%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$417 ¥2,789

27.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.1K ¥148.0K

-24.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$43.41 ¥290

129.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$33.77 ¥226

28.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$66.1 ¥442

66.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$88.5 ¥592

34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$294 ¥1,969

182.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$181 ¥1,209

243.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$586 ¥3,921

171.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$349 ¥2,335

235.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,507 ¥23.5K

66.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,194 ¥14.7K

77.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

$668 ¥4,469

147.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.42

88.60%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 70.9% $441

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 34.9% $90

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 61.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 77.4% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 37.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bengbu

$53 8% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 42.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $294 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 147% 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 $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,296,408

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Bengbu 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 143% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 147% 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 $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $417 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu 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 Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 143% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.