Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Cheras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheras: $1,130 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Cheras
Learn more

Cheras Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Cheras

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Cheras

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,130 in Cheras, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Cheras $1,130

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,541 in Cheras, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Cheras $1,541

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,952 in Cheras, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Cheras $1,952

Budapest costs about 43% more than Cheras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Cheras is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.58 MYR 14.62

289.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$24.28 MYR 99.1

152.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.80 MYR 19.57

112.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.08 MYR 12.55

5.84%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.93 MYR 3.79

130.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.60 MYR 2.44

196.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.35 MYR 17.75

-14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.25 MYR 25.50

-39.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.93 MYR 7.88

-40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.02 MYR 4.18

75.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.44 MYR 5.89

72.92%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.77 MYR 7.23

120.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$17.85 MYR 72.8

-37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.56 MYR 18.60

45.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.81 MYR 44.09

35.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.55 MYR 14.50

-48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.94 MYR 7.91

5.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.63 MYR 10.73

-9.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.67 MYR 6.80

133.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.08 MYR 8.48

-52.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.65 MYR 6.72

-39.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.38 MYR 5.63

14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.51 MYR 2.07

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.24 MYR 17.30

87.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.88 MYR 56.6

-55.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.77 MYR 11.30

-54.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.15 MYR 12.83

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.70 MYR 2.87

117.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$12.03 MYR 49.08

132.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.01 MYR 4.13

227.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 MYR 1.44

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.96 MYR 36.57

121.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.88 MYR 3.58

106.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$40.9K MYR 167.0K

-27.22%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.0K MYR 138.7K

-0.55%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$49.67 MYR 203

244.51%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.06 MYR 45.10

112.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.31 MYR 111

-14.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$39.42 MYR 161

71.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.14 MYR 29.13

164.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.99 MYR 20.36

86.37%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$164 MYR 667

226.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,451 MYR 18.2K

276.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$54.3 MYR 221

83.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.39 MYR 120

47.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$81.5 MYR 332

35.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$98.6 MYR 402

20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$409 MYR 1,669

102.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$467 MYR 1,906

33.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$687 MYR 2,803

131.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$485 MYR 1,977

141.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,052 MYR 8,372

184.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,103 MYR 4,501

252.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,189 MYR 4,851

38.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.06

58.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cheras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Cheras

$467 41.4% 24.9% $155

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Cheras

$268 23.8% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Cheras

$120 10.7% 46% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Cheras

$88 7.8% 59.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Cheras

$119 10.5% 29.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Cheras

$49 4.4% 42.6% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Cheras

$18 1.6% 60.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $409 in Cheras. 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 39% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $24.00 in Cheras. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $268 in Cheras – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Cheras

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

440,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Cheras 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Cheras

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 Cheras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 43%, 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 $1,695 in Cheras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 133% less in Cheras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $164 in Cheras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cheras, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cheras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cheras – 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 Cheras. 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.