Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Dongguan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $813 in Dongguan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Dongguan $813

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,291 in Dongguan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Dongguan $1,291

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,768 in Dongguan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Dongguan $1,768

Budapest costs about 99% more than Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Dongguan is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$2.57 ¥17.18

442.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$22.04 ¥147

177.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$5.26 ¥35.16

93.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$2.56 ¥17.14

27.34%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.47 ¥3.15

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.29 ¥1.93

513.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$0.92 ¥6.18

303.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.21 ¥14.80

70.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.60 ¥10.69

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.56 ¥10.42

14.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$1.03 ¥6.90

141.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$1.66 ¥11.12

134.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$20.79 ¥139

-46.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$3.44 ¥22.99

92.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$14.23 ¥95.2

3.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.27 ¥15.17

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.57 ¥10.51

30.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.94 ¥12.95

22.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.42 ¥9.47

174.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$1.08 ¥7.19

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.24 ¥8.32

-19.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.56 ¥3.72

182.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.55 ¥3.68

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$4.49 ¥30.04

77.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$11.89 ¥79.5

-47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.86 ¥5.76

47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.75 ¥11.68

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.35 ¥2.35

334.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$22.79 ¥152

22.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.18 ¥7.91

180.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.39 ¥2.59

251.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$4.36 ¥29.14

354.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.28 ¥8.53

42.19%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.5K ¥130.7K

52.44%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$18.6K ¥124.6K

81.53%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$63.8 ¥426

168.38%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$9.24 ¥61.8

154.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$13.08 ¥87.5

78.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$51.1 ¥341

32.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$16.01 ¥107

17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$7.67 ¥51.3

21.25%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$533 ¥3,566

0.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$24.2K ¥161.6K

-30.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$46.76 ¥313

113.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$40.41 ¥270

7.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$73.3 ¥490

50.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$39.10 ¥262

204.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$372 ¥2,490

123.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$218 ¥1,459

185.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$662 ¥4,427

140.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$431 ¥2,883

171.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$5,714 ¥38.2K

2.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,066 ¥20.5K

26.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

$858 ¥5,736

92.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.35

92.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 64.9% $404

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 4.5% $12

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 64.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 60.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Dongguan

$90 11% 46.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 22.9% $20

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 38.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $372 in Dongguan. 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 93% 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 $22.00 in Dongguan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $246 – making Dongguan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

07:45 7:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

8,254,100

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Dongguan 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 99%, 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 $1,220 in Dongguan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 23% less in Dongguan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $533 in Dongguan. 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 Dongguan, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Dongguan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dongguan – 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 Dongguan. 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.