Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $688 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
Learn more

Hai Phong Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hai Phong

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $688 in Hai Phong, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Hai Phong $688

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,162 in Hai Phong, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Hai Phong $1,162

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,635 in Hai Phong, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Hai Phong $1,635

Budapest costs about 136% more than Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Hai Phong is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,570

$1.57 ₫40.7K

791.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$18.94 ₫491.3K

218.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,255

$4.26 ₫110.6K

133.80%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,105

$1.82 ₫47.2K

85.71%

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

$2.13 Ft 696

$0.47 ₫12.3K

353.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 611

$0.30 ₫7,732

523.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,226

$0.80 ₫20.8K

368.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,167

$1.58 ₫41.1K

125.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 370

$1.55 ₫40.3K

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 602

$0.51 ₫13.3K

260.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 780

$0.82 ₫21.2K

191.46%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,250

$1.45 ₫37.6K

164.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,702

$10.46 ₫271.3K

8.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,201

$3.79 ₫98.4K

77.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,800

$9.96 ₫258.2K

47.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 600

$3.39 ₫87.9K

-45.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 656

$1.08 ₫27.9K

86.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 770

$1.33 ₫34.5K

77.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,232

$1.14 ₫29.5K

230.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 315

$0.96 ₫24.9K

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 336

$1.10 ₫28.4K

-6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 511

$0.55 ₫14.1K

183.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 217

$0.55 ₫14.4K

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,602

$1.16 ₫30.0K

586.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,963

$12.41 ₫321.8K

-51.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 423

$0.74 ₫19.2K

75.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 679

$1.67 ₫43.2K

24.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 491

$0.39 ₫10.0K

284.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

$5.66 ₫146.7K

387.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,079

$0.80 ₫20.8K

312.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 426

$0.57 ₫14.7K

128.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,465

$1.90 ₫49.2K

941.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 593

$0.89 ₫23.1K

103.37%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$30.6K ₫793.5M

-4.15%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$30.1K ₫779.8M

13.43%

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

$170 Ft 55.5K

$44.54 ₫1.2M

281.54%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,836

$5.21 ₫135.0K

360.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,654

$8.69 ₫225.3K

169.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$22.88 ₫593.4K

189.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,266

$7.79 ₫202.0K

146.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,112

$4.14 ₫107.4K

129.95%

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

$537 Ft 175.4K

$154 ₫4.0M

249.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$4,579 ₫118.8M

262.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.1K

$45.45 ₫1.2M

122.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$21.39 ₫554.6K

100.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.8K

$84.3 ₫2.2M

33.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$77.0 ₫2.0M

54.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 263.1K

$246 ₫6.4M

226.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.6K

$245 ₫6.4M

156.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

$1,018 ₫26.4M

52.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

$627 ₫16.3M

86.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,324 ₫34.3M

324.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$977 ₫25.3M

306.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

$501 ₫13.0M

224.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

-8.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Hai Phong

$245 35.2% 61.1% $384

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Hai Phong

$190 27.3% 26.2% $67

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Hai Phong

$57 8.3% 74.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Hai Phong

$58 8.4% 73.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Hai Phong

$103 14.8% 39.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Hai Phong

$31 4.5% 63.5% $54

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Hai Phong

$11 1.6% 75% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $246 in Hai Phong. 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 225% 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 $19.00 in Hai Phong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $190 – making Hai Phong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,105,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Hai Phong 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 136%, 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 $1,031 in Hai Phong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 388% less in Hai Phong. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $154 in Hai Phong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hai Phong, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Hai Phong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hai Phong – 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 Hai Phong. 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.