Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Jeonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest, Hungary
Jeonju, South Korea
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,638
/mo nomad
Jeonju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,149
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Jeonju

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,149 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,638
  • Jeonju $1,149

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,796 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,553
  • Jeonju $1,796

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,443 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,467
  • Jeonju $2,443

Budapest costs about 43% more than Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Jeonju is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.81 Ft 4,552
$7.48 ₩10.0K
84.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.5 Ft 20.3K
$22.90 ₩30.8K
168.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.16 Ft 3,349
$5.43 ₩7,287
87.11%
Cappuccino
$3.22 Ft 1,062
$3.81 ₩5,112
-15.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 Ft 680
$1.12 ₩1,503
83.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 Ft 605
$0.61 ₩824
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.60 Ft 1,188
$2.85 ₩3,827
26.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 Ft 1,208
$4.16 ₩5,591
-12.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 Ft 392
$2.15 ₩2,885
-44.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 Ft 617
$2.30 ₩3,095
-18.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 780
$3.12 ₩4,186
-24.04%
Eggs
$3.96 Ft 1,305
$2.30 ₩3,090
72.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.16 Ft 3,680
$10.99 ₩14.8K
1.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.76 Ft 2,228
$10.53 ₩14.1K
-35.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.35 Ft 4,731
$25.57 ₩34.3K
-43.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.81 Ft 596
$11.45 ₩15.4K
-84.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 Ft 695
$3.33 ₩4,472
-36.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.33 Ft 770
$8.37 ₩11.2K
-72.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 Ft 1,254
$4.61 ₩6,197
-17.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 327
$6.20 ₩8,319
-84.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.98 Ft 324
$2.29 ₩3,075
-57.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.55 Ft 512
$2.91 ₩3,907
-46.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 Ft 230
$0.77 ₩1,031
-9.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.79 Ft 2,569
$3.47 ₩4,662
124.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 Ft 1,995
$18.83 ₩25.3K
-67.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 Ft 421
$1.49 ₩1,998
-14.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 Ft 672
$3.51 ₩4,710
-41.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 Ft 511
$1.22 ₩1,634
27.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.28 Ft 8,995
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,087
$3.32 ₩4,460
-0.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 Ft 433
$0.76 ₩1,022
72.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.26 Ft 6,679
$16.74 ₩22.5K
21.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 600
$1.21 ₩1,631
50.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K Ft 9.5M
$39.1K ₩52.5M
-26.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K Ft 10.9M
$34.6K ₩46.5M
-4.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 Ft 56.8K
$72.0 ₩96.7K
139.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.95 Ft 7,897
$30.65 ₩41.2K
-21.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.31 Ft 7,685
$27.49 ₩36.9K
-15.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.6 Ft 22.6K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.91 Ft 6,235
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 Ft 3,356
$11.98 ₩16.1K
-15.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$600 Ft 197.9K
$638 ₩856.7K
-5.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.5M
$22.0K ₩29.5M
-23.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.0 Ft 32.6K
$105 ₩140.4K
-5.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.25 Ft 14.3K
$64.9 ₩87.2K
-33.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 37.2K
$44.53 ₩59.8K
153.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 Ft 38.6K
$37.95 ₩51.0K
208.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$836 Ft 275.6K
$266 ₩356.5K
214.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$640 Ft 210.9K
$259 ₩348.4K
146.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 Ft 526.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,205 Ft 397.3K
$460 ₩617.1K
162.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,625 Ft 1.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,802 Ft 1.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Jeonju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,671 Ft 551.1K
$2,295 ₩3.1M
-27.18%
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 27, 2026

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$640
Jeonju
$259 59.4% $380
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Jeonju
$458 77.4% $200
Eating Out
Budapest
$221
Jeonju
$151 31.4% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$219
Jeonju
$130 40.7% $89
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Jeonju
$113 32.3% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$89
Jeonju
$24 * 73.1% $65
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Jeonju
$12 * 72.3% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $266 in Jeonju. 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 37% higher in Jeonju, 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 in Budapest versus $23 in Jeonju. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $458 in Jeonju – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇰🇷 Jeonju
🕒 Local time
13:57 1:57 PM
21:57 9:57 PM
8 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
653,387
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Jeonju 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Jeonju

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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jeonju cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 43%, 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 $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,723 in Jeonju. 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 Jeonju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $836 in Budapest.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Jeonju?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $23 in Jeonju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Jeonju?
Interestingly, groceries are about 44% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Jeonju?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jeonju, where all-in costs run around $1,149, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Jeonju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Budapest or in Jeonju?
It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,149 in Jeonju to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Jeonju?
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.

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