Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Chuzhou
Learn more

Chuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Chuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $685 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Chuzhou $685

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,120 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Chuzhou $1,120

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,555 in Chuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Chuzhou $1,555

Budapest costs about 139% more than Chuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Chuzhou is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$2.28 ¥15.15

505.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$22.28 ¥148

175.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$4.76 ¥31.65

113.45%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.30 ¥15.31

40.00%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.53 ¥3.54

288.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.27 ¥1.80

577.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$0.44 ¥2.90

718.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$1.54 ¥10.23

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.54 ¥10.28

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$2.07 ¥13.75

-9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$0.84 ¥5.57

182.14%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$1.32 ¥8.80

200.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$10.57 ¥70.3

5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$3.03 ¥20.15

123.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$9.07 ¥60.4

58.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$2.09 ¥13.88

-13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.26 ¥8.36

67.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.71 ¥11.39

36.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.07 ¥7.15

255.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$0.90 ¥5.96

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.97 ¥6.47

1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$0.89 ¥5.92

74.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.52 ¥3.46

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$3.83 ¥25.51

103.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$13.28 ¥88.4

-54.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$0.95 ¥6.31

34.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$1.55 ¥10.34

31.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.31 ¥2.08

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$19.20 ¥128

42.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$1.75 ¥11.66

88.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.41 ¥2.75

219.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$9.09 ¥60.5

122.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.32 ¥8.77

37.88%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$19.3K ¥128.5K

48.73%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$17.4K ¥115.5K

90.64%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$55.5 ¥369

210.18%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$7.88 ¥52.4

203.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$7.28 ¥48.43

220.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$43.09 ¥287

59.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$16.05 ¥107

17.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$6.07 ¥40.41

67.71%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$441 ¥2,932

36.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$22.8K ¥151.9K

-26.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$43.42 ¥289

128.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$34.55 ¥230

25.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$64.8 ¥431

74.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$87.6 ¥583

33.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$253 ¥1,683

230.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$165 ¥1,095

288.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$606 ¥4,032

163.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$376 ¥2,503

220.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$3,018 ¥20.1K

86.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,996 ¥13.3K

90.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.42

88.60%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Chuzhou

$165 24% 74.3% $475

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Chuzhou

$198 28.9% 23.4% $61

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Chuzhou

$69 10% 68.9% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Chuzhou

$71 10.3% 67.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Chuzhou

$104 15.1% 38.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Chuzhou

$55 8.1% 37.9% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Chuzhou

$24 3.5% 44% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $253 in Chuzhou. 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 Chuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $198 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Chuzhou

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,987,054

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 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 = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Chuzhou 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chuzhou

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 Chuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 139%, 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 $1,027 in Chuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Chuzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $441 in Chuzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 139% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.