Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
Learn more

Chang-hua Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $864 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Chang-hua $864

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,343 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Chang-hua $1,343

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,822 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Chang-hua $1,822

Budapest costs about 87% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Chang-hua is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.83 NT$124

263.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.76 NT$1,062

86.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.53 NT$179

84.27%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.63 NT$52.7

100.00%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.96 NT$30.99

122.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.56 NT$18.01

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.36 NT$44.21

172.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.17 NT$70.3

73.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.38 NT$77.1

-51.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$2.07 NT$67.2

-13.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.94 NT$95.5

-15.31%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.76 NT$89.5

41.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$16.19 NT$525

-31.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.51 NT$308

-30.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$21.23 NT$688

-30.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.82 NT$156

-62.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.38 NT$110

-39.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.93 NT$95.1

-19.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.17 NT$103

23.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.77 NT$89.8

-64.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.11 NT$68.4

-52.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.69 NT$54.9

-6.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.77 NT$24.97

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.96 NT$128

101.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.43 NT$306

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.38 NT$44.70

-7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.29 NT$74.4

-11.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.55 NT$50.4

-1.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$34.80 NT$1,129

-19.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.65 NT$85.9

24.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.76 NT$24.71

80.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.29 NT$301

113.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 NT$34.39

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-10.08%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.3K NT$787.5K

39.24%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$31.62 NT$1,025

441.18%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$16.99 NT$551

38.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$18.71 NT$607

24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.75 NT$1,029

112.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.38 NT$304

-0.85%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$636 NT$20.6K

-16.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,946 NT$257.7K

110.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$49.35 NT$1,600

101.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$15.47 NT$502

181.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.1 NT$2,534

41.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$49.57 NT$1,607

140.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$252 NT$8,160

230.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$170 NT$5,528

264.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$509 NT$16.5K

213.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$169 NT$5,480

592.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,959 NT$96.0K

97.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,631 NT$52.9K

138.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,011 NT$65.2K

-17.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.2

193.18%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Chang-hua

$170 19.7% 72.6% $451

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Chang-hua

$358 41.4% 38.8% $100

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Chang-hua

$84 9.7% 62.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Chang-hua

$67 7.8% 69.1% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Chang-hua

$87 10% 48.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Chang-hua

$51 5.8% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 7.3% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $252 in Chang-hua. 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 22% higher in Chang-hua, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $33.00 in Chang-hua. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $358 in Chang-hua – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

226,564

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Chang-hua 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,296 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 24% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $636 in Chang-hua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – 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 Chang-hua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.