Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bien Hoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $660 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
Learn more

Bien Hoa Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bien Hoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $660 in Bien Hoa.

Budapest $1,619
Bien Hoa $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $916 in Bien Hoa.

Budapest $2,524
Bien Hoa $916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,172 in Bien Hoa.

Budapest $3,429
Bien Hoa $1,172

Living in Budapest is roughly 145% more expensive than in Bien Hoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.95 ₫50.4K

614.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$11.65 ₫301.5K

425.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.50 ₫116.4K

126.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.13 ₫29.2K

188.50%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.42 ₫10.8K

409.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.23 ₫5,980

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.52 ₫13.4K

613.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$0.75 ₫19.4K

402.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.28 ₫33.2K

-10.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.80 ₫20.8K

123.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.86 ₫22.2K

189.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.37 ₫35.5K

184.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.01 ₫311.0K

-7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$1.89 ₫48.8K

250.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.39 ₫243.0K

56.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.08 ₫53.8K

-12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.23 ₫31.9K

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.14 ₫29.4K

107.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.92 ₫23.8K

323.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.21 ₫31.4K

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.44 ₫11.3K

259.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 ₫12.7K

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.26 ₫32.5K

531.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.62 ₫197.3K

-18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.42 ₫10.9K

202.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$0.74 ₫19.3K

174.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.32 ₫8,180

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$6.62 ₫171.3K

323.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.46 ₫11.8K

619.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.55 ₫14.3K

149.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$1.17 ₫30.2K

1594.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.85 ₫21.9K

114.12%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$30.5K ₫790.0M

-2.36%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$30.4K ₫787.3M

11.18%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$50.6 ₫1.3M

238.05%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$4.21 ₫109.0K

458.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$6.78 ₫175.4K

243.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$10.83 ₫280.4K

523.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.91 ₫204.7K

138.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$3.38 ₫87.4K

175.15%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$67.6 ₫1.8M

688.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.2K ₫366.8M

18.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$15.41 ₫399.1K

546.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$15.53 ₫402.1K

180.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$68.3 ₫1.8M

61.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$95.1 ₫2.5M

25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$404 ₫10.4M

105.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$270 ₫7.0M

130.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$415 ₫10.7M

283.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$310 ₫8.0M

276.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,888 ₫74.8M

101.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,326 ₫34.3M

193.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$302 ₫7.8M

446.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.8

-17.31%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bien Hoa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bien Hoa

$270 40.9% 56.6% $352

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bien Hoa

$163 24.7% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bien Hoa

$49 7.5% 77.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bien Hoa

$62 9.3% 71.7% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bien Hoa

$87 13.3% 47.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7% 79.6% $69

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7% 74.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $404 in Bien Hoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 447% 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 $12.00 in Bien Hoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $163 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

13:43 1:43 PM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,272,235

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Bien Hoa 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bien Hoa

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 Bien Hoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 145% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 447% 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 $404 in Bien Hoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $660 in Bien Hoa versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bien Hoa but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bien Hoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bien Hoa 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 Bien Hoa 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 Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 145% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.