Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $849 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bintulu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $849 in Bintulu.

Budapest $1,621
Bintulu $849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $1,312 in Bintulu.

Budapest $2,555
Bintulu $1,312

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $1,775 in Bintulu.

Budapest $3,489
Bintulu $1,775

Living in Budapest is roughly 91% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Bintulu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$3.95 MYR 16.13

254.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$18.43 MYR 75.3

227.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$5.79 MYR 23.63

72.02%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.99 MYR 12.20

13.04%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.63 MYR 2.59

238.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.38 MYR 1.54

392.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.98 MYR 12.17

25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$5.17 MYR 21.12

-30.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.15 MYR 8.77

-47.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.37 MYR 5.59

34.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.32 MYR 5.41

81.06%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.16 MYR 8.83

77.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$16.81 MYR 68.6

-32.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.48 MYR 14.19

93.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$5.90 MYR 24.11

148.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.76 MYR 7.19

4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.02 MYR 4.18

97.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.76 MYR 7.17

34.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.13 MYR 4.60

233.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.51 MYR 2.08

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-13.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.69 MYR 2.84

126.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.42 MYR 1.71

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.18 MYR 17.08

90.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$19.74 MYR 80.6

-69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$3.01 MYR 12.29

-56.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.00 MYR 8.17

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.20 MYR 4.91

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$16.62 MYR 67.9

66.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.02 MYR 4.18

223.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.83 MYR 3.39

56.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$2.50 MYR 10.21

691.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.63 MYR 2.57

187.30%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$44.5K MYR 181.7K

-34.09%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$38.5K MYR 157.0K

-11.32%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$59.2 MYR 242

186.96%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$31.51 MYR 129

-23.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$29.98 MYR 122

-21.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$66.4 MYR 271

-0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$12.43 MYR 50.8

54.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$4.33 MYR 17.67

119.86%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$124 MYR 508

331.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$7,230 MYR 29.5K

129.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$64.2 MYR 262

57.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$36.02 MYR 147

19.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$80.5 MYR 329

39.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$90.8 MYR 371

30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$220 MYR 898

266.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$157 MYR 642

300.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$485 MYR 1,979

219.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$333 MYR 1,361

250.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,730 MYR 7,062

224.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,137 MYR 4,644

248.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$598 MYR 2,441

171.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.5

42.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Bintulu

$157 18.5% 75% $472

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Bintulu

$232 27.4% 9.8% $25

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Bintulu

$114 13.5% 49.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Bintulu

$121 14.2% 44.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Bintulu

$122 14.4% 27.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Bintulu

$75 8.9% 11.9% $10

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Bintulu

$27 3.1% 38.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $220 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 172% 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 $18.00 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $232 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

240,172

💱 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 = 0.219 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 = 325 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 = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Bintulu 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 172% 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 $220 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,621 per month in Budapest versus $849 in Bintulu – a 91% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 66% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $849 in Bintulu versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bintulu but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bintulu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bintulu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $849 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bintulu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Bintulu 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 Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.