Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and China

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $784 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Budapest is 65.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 106.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Budapest is 73.1% more expensive than China without rent, and 99.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$2.90 ¥19.39
382.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$22.02 ¥147
174.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$5.20 ¥34.74
91.54%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$3.04 ¥20.31
11.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$0.52 ¥3.45
309.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$0.28 ¥1.85
567.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$1.01 ¥6.75
271.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$2.19 ¥14.64
63.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.75 ¥11.71
-35.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$1.64 ¥10.96
12.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$0.92 ¥6.12
159.78%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$1.59 ¥10.66
140.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$12.99 ¥86.8
-12.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$3.35 ¥22.38
101.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$11.18 ¥74.7
31.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$1.80 ¥12.02
2.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$1.31 ¥8.78
53.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$1.47 ¥9.80
60.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$1.32 ¥8.79
185.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$0.76 ¥5.07
26.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$0.92 ¥6.15
11.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$0.59 ¥3.94
164.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$0.54 ¥3.63
22.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$3.79 ¥25.34
110.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$12.14 ¥81.1
-50.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$0.82 ¥5.48
58.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$1.63 ¥10.92
27.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$0.29 ¥1.93
417.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$22.33 ¥149
23.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$1.53 ¥10.24
115.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$0.35 ¥2.31
271.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$7.00 ¥46.79
182.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$1.31 ¥8.77
38.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$19.0K ¥127.1K
54.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$17.0K ¥113.7K
100.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$54.1 ¥362
213.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$8.42 ¥56.3
184.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$10.72 ¥71.6
118.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$40.72 ¥272
62.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$14.58 ¥97.4
31.55%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$6.76 ¥45.15
40.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$462 ¥3,089
16.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$19.6K ¥131.0K
-15.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$45.57 ¥305
122.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$36.05 ¥241
19.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$75.4 ¥504
49.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$79.0 ¥528
50.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$386 ¥2,577
108.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$240 ¥1,601
162.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$843 ¥5,637
83.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$461 ¥3,083
152.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$4,590 ¥30.7K
22.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$2,279 ¥15.2K
74.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$1,060 ¥7,082
53.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
3.46
85.84%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
China
$240 61.9% $390
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
China
$207 19.6% $50
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
China
$88 60.8% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
China
$73 66.3% $144
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
China
$106 37.2% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
China
$54 36.4% $31
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
China
$27 38.4% $17
Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇨🇳 China
🕒 Local time
09:01 9:01 AM
15:01 3:01 PM
6 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
1,442,965,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest China 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • China

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.
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