Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chongqing

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $714 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
Learn more

Chongqing Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chongqing

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $714 in Chongqing, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Chongqing $714

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,168 in Chongqing, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Chongqing $1,168

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,622 in Chongqing, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Chongqing $1,622

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

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Chongqing is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.64 ¥17.67

429.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$22.05 ¥147

173.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.67 ¥31.20

113.28%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.06 ¥13.79

64.08%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.43 ¥2.90

395.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.31 ¥2.09

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.20 ¥8.02

212.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$1.75 ¥11.71

104.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.92 ¥12.85

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.58 ¥10.56

16.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.64 ¥4.25

273.44%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.16 ¥14.42

77.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$17.55 ¥117

-35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.37 ¥22.55

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$10.08 ¥67.4

45.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.56 ¥10.43

17.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.35 ¥9.01

48.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.25 ¥8.35

88.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.25 ¥8.32

201.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.61 ¥4.07

57.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.94 ¥6.31

9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.87 ¥5.83

79.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.62 ¥4.13

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.07 ¥20.51

159.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$8.95 ¥59.8

-32.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$0.76 ¥5.10

71.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.64 ¥10.93

26.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.39 ¥2.59

284.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$22.16 ¥148

24.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.53 ¥10.24

115.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.29 ¥1.91

348.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$2.96 ¥19.81

568.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.26 ¥8.44

43.65%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$19.5K ¥130.3K

50.42%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$16.8K ¥112.4K

102.78%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$44.19 ¥295

284.57%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$6.95 ¥46.43

245.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$7.17 ¥47.91

226.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$50.7 ¥339

30.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$10.64 ¥71.1

80.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.94 ¥39.71

60.27%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$290 ¥1,939

85.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$25.6K ¥171.0K

-35.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$39.88 ¥267

154.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$29.80 ¥199

44.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$64.8 ¥433

73.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$62.7 ¥419

89.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$418 ¥2,790

92.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$200 ¥1,338

214.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$880 ¥5,879

76.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$414 ¥2,767

181.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,681 ¥17.9K

109.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,705 ¥11.4K

132.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,111 ¥7,423

46.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.34

92.51%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chongqing: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Chongqing

$200 27.7% 68.2% $429

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Chongqing

$213 29.5% 17.4% $45

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Chongqing

$72 10% 67.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Chongqing

$58 8.1% 73.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Chongqing

$89 12.3% 47.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Chongqing

$63 8.7% 26.7% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Chongqing

$27 3.7% 38.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $418 in Chongqing. 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 46% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $22.00 in Chongqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $213 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,564,449

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Chongqing 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Chongqing: 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 $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,071 in Chongqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 25% less in Chongqing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $290 in Chongqing. 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 Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – 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 Chongqing. 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.