Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Busan

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Busan: $1,621 and $1,627 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Busan

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,627 in Busan, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Busan $1,627

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,557 in Busan, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Busan $2,557

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,486 in Busan, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Busan $3,486

Budapest and Busan have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Budapest and Busan sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Busan by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$7.25 ₩9,741

92.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$48.28 ₩64.8K

24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$6.47 ₩8,684

53.94%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.65 ₩4,899

-7.40%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.77 ₩2,378

20.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$1.39 ₩1,870

34.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$3.83 ₩5,149

-2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$4.37 ₩5,870

-18.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$2.32 ₩3,114

-51.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$3.26 ₩4,383

-43.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.11 ₩4,177

-23.15%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.62 ₩3,514

46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$11.18 ₩15.0K

1.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$10.38 ₩13.9K

-35.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$25.03 ₩33.6K

-41.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-83.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$3.54 ₩4,749

-43.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$7.86 ₩10.6K

-69.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$5.85 ₩7,863

-35.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$5.88 ₩7,901

-83.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$3.39 ₩4,556

-69.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.73 ₩3,665

-42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.32 ₩1,775

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.33 ₩4,469

139.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$18.44 ₩24.8K

-67.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.38 ₩3,191

-45.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$3.48 ₩4,668

-40.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$1.19 ₩1,592

26.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$59.1 ₩79.4K

-53.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$3.60 ₩4,839

-8.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.72 ₩964

80.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$16.66 ₩22.4K

18.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.36 ₩1,830

33.09%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$29.8K ₩40.1M

-1.71%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$33.8K ₩45.4M

0.99%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$196 ₩263.8K

-13.48%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$36.52 ₩49.1K

-34.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$27.50 ₩36.9K

-14.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$62.5 ₩83.9K

6.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$9.62 ₩12.9K

99.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$12.04 ₩16.2K

-20.93%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$637 ₩855.9K

-15.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$21.6K ₩29.0M

-23.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$106 ₩142.6K

-4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$65.6 ₩88.0K

-34.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$94.5 ₩126.9K

19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$128 ₩172.1K

-7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$734 ₩985.6K

9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$365 ₩489.9K

72.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,341 ₩1.8M

15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$701 ₩941.6K

66.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$10.0K ₩13.4M

-43.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$6,421 ₩8.6M

-38.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$2,841 ₩3.8M

-42.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.22

52.37%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Busan

$365 22.7% 42% $264

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Busan

$483 30.1% 87.6% $226

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Busan

$162 10.1% 27.9% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Busan

$260 16.2% 19.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Busan

$177 11.1% 4.9% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Busan

$87 5.4% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Busan

$71 4.4% 63.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $734 in Busan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 75% higher in Busan. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $48.00 in Busan. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $483 in Busan – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Busan 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,441 in Busan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest and $48.00 in Busan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 114% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Busan at $1,627. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Busan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Busan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.