Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
Learn more

Chenzhou Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chenzhou

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $721 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Chenzhou $721

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,197 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Chenzhou $1,197

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,674 in Chenzhou, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Chenzhou $1,674

Budapest costs about 127% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Chenzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,548

$3.03 ¥20.18

355.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$22.13 ¥148

177.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$4.86 ¥32.38

109.05%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$1.54 ¥10.26

109.09%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$0.51 ¥3.42

303.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$0.27 ¥1.81

577.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$1.29 ¥8.59

179.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,207

$1.89 ¥12.61

93.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.97 ¥13.11

-39.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$2.38 ¥15.85

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$0.79 ¥5.24

200.00%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$1.72 ¥11.48

130.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,677

$13.15 ¥87.6

-15.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,226

$4.13 ¥27.51

63.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,727

$11.57 ¥77.1

24.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$0.59 ¥3.93

206.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.18 ¥7.84

78.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$0.73 ¥4.88

219.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$1.19 ¥7.91

219.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.97 ¥6.50

2.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.54 ¥10.26

-36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.61 ¥4.05

154.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$0.49 ¥3.24

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,567

$3.02 ¥20.11

157.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$12.71 ¥84.7

-52.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.04 ¥6.92

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$1.57 ¥10.47

29.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.31 ¥2.05

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,987

$15.40 ¥103

77.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$1.52 ¥10.11

117.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.29 ¥1.93

351.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,673

$4.60 ¥30.64

340.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$1.29 ¥8.60

41.09%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$19.3K ¥128.6K

48.93%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$17.4K ¥115.8K

90.37%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$56.3 ¥375

205.72%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,890

$8.94 ¥59.6

167.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,679

$11.27 ¥75.1

106.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$42.59 ¥284

61.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,229

$14.67 ¥97.8

28.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,353

$6.48 ¥43.20

57.10%

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

$600 Ft 197.8K

$329 ¥2,192

82.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$16.9K ¥112.5K

-0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$84.2 ¥562

17.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$35.01 ¥233

23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$89.1 ¥594

26.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$58.9 ¥392

99.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.4K

$310 ¥2,064

170.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$163 ¥1,087

292.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

$584 ¥3,892

173.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

$414 ¥2,757

191.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$3,531 ¥23.5K

59.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,917 ¥12.8K

98.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.46

86.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Chenzhou

$163 22.6% 74.5% $477

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Chenzhou

$215 29.8% 16.7% $43

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Chenzhou

$71 9.8% 68% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Chenzhou

$77 10.6% 65.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Chenzhou

$120 16.7% 28.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Chenzhou

$56 7.7% 37.5% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Chenzhou

$20 2.7% 54.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $310 in Chenzhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $22 in Chenzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $215 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,667,134

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Chenzhou 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Chenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,081 in Chenzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $329 in Chenzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 127% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.