Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Chiang Mai $1,979

Budapest costs about 75% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$2.24 ฿75.7

516.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$19.00 ฿642

223.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$5.55 ฿188

83.06%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$1.67 ฿56.6

92.81%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.64 ฿21.56

221.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.31 ฿10.32

490.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$2.36 ฿79.6

52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.44 ฿48.51

29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.33 ฿45.07

78.20%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.28 ฿77.1

73.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$16.45 ฿556

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$2.78 ฿94.0

143.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$9.31 ฿314

54.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$2.35 ฿79.5

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$0.97 ฿32.82

117.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.60 ฿53.9

45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.50 ฿50.7

153.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.28 ฿43.15

-22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.10 ฿37.22

-10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$0.71 ฿23.84

118.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.49 ฿16.38

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$4.14 ฿140

88.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$17.52 ฿592

-65.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.61 ฿54.5

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.78 ฿94.0

-26.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.87 ฿29.33

78.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$54.1 ฿1,827

-49.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$1.16 ฿39.08

184.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.53 ฿17.82

147.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$2.42 ฿81.8

737.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.45 ฿48.93

25.52%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

36.39%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

22.78%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$62.2 ฿2,100

176.95%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$12.17 ฿411

96.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$20.12 ฿680

15.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$37.31 ฿1,260

83.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$3.77 ฿127

401.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$6.49 ฿219

56.86%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$736 ฿24.9K

-18.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

13.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$53.4 ฿1,802

85.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$24.64 ฿832

75.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$91.5 ฿3,089

23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$71.9 ฿2,429

62.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

73.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

107.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

58.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

90.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

138.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

139.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

183.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 51.7% $331

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.3% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.8% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.5% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Chiang Mai 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Budapest and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. 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.