Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Huaibei

For one person, living is cheaper in Huaibei: $721 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Huaibei
🇨🇳 China
$721
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Huaibei

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $721 in Huaibei, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Huaibei $721

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,124 in Huaibei, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Huaibei $1,124

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,527 in Huaibei, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Huaibei $1,527

Budapest costs about 125% more than Huaibei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Huaibei is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,570
$2.87 ¥19.18
387.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.7K
$21.27 ¥142
183.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,255
$4.85 ¥32.41
105.36%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,105
$3.07 ¥20.53
10.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 696
$0.43 ¥2.87
395.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 611
$0.27 ¥1.80
592.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,226
$0.88 ¥5.91
326.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,167
$2.12 ¥14.15
68.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 370
$1.86 ¥12.45
-39.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 602
$1.61 ¥10.79
14.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 780
$0.94 ¥6.30
154.26%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,250
$1.59 ¥10.65
140.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,702
$12.65 ¥84.5
-10.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,201
$3.22 ¥21.52
109.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,800
$10.32 ¥69.0
42.34%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 600
$1.82 ¥12.15
1.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 656
$1.26 ¥8.41
59.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 770
$1.47 ¥9.84
60.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,232
$1.13 ¥7.56
233.63%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 315
$0.69 ¥4.58
39.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 336
$0.97 ¥6.49
6.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 511
$0.60 ¥4.00
160.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 217
$0.51 ¥3.42
29.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,602
$3.09 ¥20.65
157.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,963
$10.74 ¥71.7
-44.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 423
$0.74 ¥4.93
75.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 679
$1.58 ¥10.56
31.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 491
$0.27 ¥1.80
455.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 9,021
$16.68 ¥112
65.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,079
$1.36 ¥9.07
142.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 426
$0.32 ¥2.17
306.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,465
$6.62 ¥44.24
198.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 593
$1.17 ¥7.81
54.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.6M
$19.8K ¥132.1K
48.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$17.3K ¥115.8K
96.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.5K
$45.53 ¥304
273.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,836
$9.86 ¥65.9
143.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,654
$11.93 ¥79.8
96.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$42.31 ¥283
56.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,266
$13.76 ¥92.0
39.39%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,112
$6.07 ¥40.54
56.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 175.4K
$333 ¥2,223
61.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$16.6K ¥111.2K
-0.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.1K
$43.13 ¥288
134.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$30.75 ¥205
39.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.8K
$72.9 ¥487
54.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.8K
$72.3 ¥483
64.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 263.1K
$273 ¥1,828
194.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 205.6K
$191 ¥1,280
228.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 506.3K
$590 ¥3,943
162.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 381.4K
$364 ¥2,431
220.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$3,047 ¥20.4K
84.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$2,054 ¥13.7K
93.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Huaibei
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 531.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
3.89
65.30%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Huaibei: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Huaibei
$191 69.6% $438
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Huaibei
$199 22.8% $59
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Huaibei
$86 61.7% $138
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Huaibei
$67 69% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Huaibei
$99 41.7% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Huaibei
$54 36.2% $31
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Huaibei
$21 52.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $273 in Huaibei. 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $21.00 in Huaibei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Huaibei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇨🇳 Huaibei
🕒 Local time
07:21 7:21 AM
13:21 1:21 PM
6 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
1,970,265
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Huaibei 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Huaibei

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 Huaibei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Huaibei cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,081 in Huaibei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Huaibei, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 66% less in Huaibei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $333 in Huaibei. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Huaibei?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huaibei, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Huaibei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Huaibei more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Huaibei – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Huaibei?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Huaibei. 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.

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