Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Icheon

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Icheon: $1,619 and $1,595 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Icheon

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,595 in Icheon, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Icheon $1,595

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,043 in Icheon, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Icheon $2,043

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,491 in Icheon, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Icheon $2,491

Budapest costs about 1% more than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Icheon sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Icheon by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.20 ₩8,238

124.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$48.38 ₩64.3K

26.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.62 ₩8,804

53.93%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.70 ₩4,924

-11.89%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.33 ₩1,774

60.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.17 ₩1,553

52.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.80 ₩5,052

-2.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.22 ₩5,607

-10.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.23 ₩2,970

-48.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.27 ₩4,346

-45.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.21 ₩4,263

-22.43%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.74 ₩3,650

42.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.97 ₩14.6K

1.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$10.56 ₩14.0K

-37.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$25.36 ₩33.7K

-42.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-83.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.56 ₩4,731

-42.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-70.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$5.90 ₩7,849

-33.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$6.05 ₩8,043

-83.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.38 ₩4,489

-70.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.74 ₩3,647

-42.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.28 ₩1,701

-47.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.29 ₩4,378

141.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.65 ₩24.8K

-66.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.44 ₩3,245

-47.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.42 ₩4,546

-40.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.10 ₩1,466

38.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.64 ₩4,836

-9.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.77 ₩1,028

77.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.77 ₩22.3K

18.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.37 ₩1,821

32.85%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.9K ₩39.8M

-0.43%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$33.4K ₩44.4M

1.25%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$200 ₩265.3K

-14.24%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$36.02 ₩47.9K

-34.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.21 ₩36.2K

-14.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$22.45 ₩29.8K

200.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.28 ₩15.0K

-17.55%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$642 ₩853.2K

-16.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.1K ₩29.4M

-24.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$106 ₩141.3K

-6.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$65.5 ₩87.1K

-33.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$93.9 ₩124.8K

17.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$129 ₩171.6K

-7.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$748 ₩994.5K

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$459 ₩609.7K

35.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,317 ₩3.1M

-28.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.9

65.38%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 26.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 89.3% $230

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 32.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 20.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 47.7% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 73.1% $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 $748 in Icheon. 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 40% higher in Icheon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $48.00 in Icheon. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $488 in Icheon – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

04:37 4:37 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

213,059

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

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Between locations

Budapest Icheon 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, 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 $2,393 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 89% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Icheon, where all-in costs run around $1,595, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Icheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Icheon – 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 Icheon. 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.