Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,539 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gongju

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,539 in Gongju, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Gongju $1,539

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,437 in Gongju, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Gongju $2,437

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,335 in Gongju, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Gongju $3,335

Budapest costs about 5% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Gongju sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Gongju by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.29 ₩9,697

91.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$48.03 ₩63.9K

27.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.54 ₩8,700

55.81%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.77 ₩5,015

-13.53%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.85 ₩2,461

15.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.44 ₩1,918

23.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.84 ₩5,104

-3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.30 ₩5,721

-12.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.26 ₩3,004

-49.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.19 ₩4,246

-43.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.16 ₩4,197

-21.20%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.74 ₩3,641

42.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.89 ₩14.5K

1.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.47 ₩13.9K

-36.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$24.73 ₩32.9K

-40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-83.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.61 ₩4,803

-43.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$8.27 ₩11.0K

-71.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$5.95 ₩7,908

-34.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$6.11 ₩8,120

-83.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.22 ₩4,283

-68.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.83 ₩3,766

-44.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.28 ₩1,704

-47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.28 ₩4,357

142.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.67 ₩24.8K

-66.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.38 ₩3,166

-46.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.53 ₩4,700

-42.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.14 ₩1,513

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.67 ₩4,884

-9.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.73 ₩967

87.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.08 ₩22.7K

16.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.37 ₩1,819

32.85%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.5K ₩39.3M

0.90%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$33.3K ₩44.3M

1.46%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$197 ₩262.1K

-13.19%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$36.42 ₩48.4K

-35.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$26.72 ₩35.5K

-12.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.9 ₩69.0K

30.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$12.00 ₩16.0K

57.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.80 ₩15.7K

-21.19%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$624 ₩830.3K

-14.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$21.6K ₩28.7M

-22.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$104 ₩137.8K

-3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$66.4 ₩88.3K

-34.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$94.7 ₩125.9K

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$127 ₩168.5K

-6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$489 ₩650.1K

69.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$364 ₩484.6K

70.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,153 ₩1.5M

38.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$757 ₩1.0M

54.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$7,239 ₩9.6M

-19.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$5,410 ₩7.2M

-28.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,309 ₩1.7M

26.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.22

52.84%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gongju: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Gongju

$364 23.7% 41.4% $257

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Gongju

$486 31.6% 88.5% $228

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Gongju

$164 10.7% 26.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Gongju

$260 16.9% 19.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Gongju

$176 11.5% 5.1% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Gongju

$75 4.9% 12.3% $11

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 73.2% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $489 in Gongju. 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 26% 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 $48.00 in Gongju. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $486 in Gongju – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

110,428

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Gongju 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,308 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $48.00 in Gongju. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 88% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gongju, where all-in costs run around $1,539, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Gongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gongju – 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 Gongju. 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.