Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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 Hat Yai
Learn more

Hat Yai Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hat Yai

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $731 in Hat Yai, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Hat Yai $731

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,300 in Hat Yai, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Hat Yai $1,300

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,870 in Hat Yai, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Hat Yai $1,870

Budapest costs about 122% more than Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Hat Yai is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.90 ฿96.9

380.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$43.67 ฿1,460

40.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.66 ฿122

178.42%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.88 ฿96.3

13.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.33 ฿44.34

60.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.56 ฿18.60

217.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.80 ฿60.1

106.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.46 ฿116

8.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.45 ฿48.55

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.25 ฿41.68

43.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.24 ฿41.28

100.81%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.51 ฿83.9

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$22.15 ฿740

-49.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.24 ฿74.7

195.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.19 ฿374

31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.54 ฿84.8

-27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.38 ฿46.10

48.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.89 ฿63.3

25.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.80 ฿60.3

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.46 ฿48.94

-32.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.03 ฿34.38

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.07 ฿35.74

47.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.41 ฿13.57

63.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.36 ฿146

82.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$15.03 ฿502

-58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.77 ฿59.2

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.99 ฿66.4

2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.57 ฿18.98

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.25 ฿41.71

164.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.13 ฿37.78

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.94 ฿165

301.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.29 ฿43.15

41.09%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$18.9K ฿630.6K

57.92%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-25.05%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$84.4 ฿2,819

102.84%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.75 ฿393

100.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.65 ฿322

141.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$48.45 ฿1,619

39.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.10 ฿471

33.97%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.19 ฿240

29.35%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$562 ฿18.8K

-5.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.7K ฿357.3K

56.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$37.54 ฿1,255

165.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$26.26 ฿878

65.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$70.9 ฿2,369

55.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$97.3 ฿3,250

22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$270 ฿9,010

208.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$107 ฿3,576

481.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$729 ฿24.4K

118.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$397 ฿13.3K

194.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,915 ฿64.0K

204.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,584 ฿52.9K

145.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$452 ฿15.1K

265.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.36

1.42%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 82.8% $515

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 3.4% $8.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 58.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 51.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 37.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 27% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 79.3% $35

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 $270 in Hat Yai. 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 266% 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $249 – making Hat Yai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

03:31 3:31 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

156,802

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Hat Yai 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 122%, 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 $1,096 in Hat Yai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hat Yai, 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hat Yai, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Hat Yai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hat Yai – 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 Hat Yai. 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.