Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Jiangmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
Learn more

Jiangmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Jiangmen

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $513 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Jiangmen $513

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $998 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Jiangmen $998

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,483 in Jiangmen, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Jiangmen $1,483

Budapest costs about 215% more than Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Jiangmen is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.29 ¥21.97

323.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.07 ¥201

103.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.31 ¥35.49

91.90%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.30 ¥15.38

41.74%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.43 ¥2.87

397.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.31 ¥2.08

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.91 ¥6.09

307.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.46 ¥9.79

158.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.60 ¥10.71

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.63 ¥10.89

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.07 ¥7.12

132.71%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.77 ¥11.86

120.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$21.48 ¥144

-48.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.28 ¥15.27

190.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.38 ¥89.5

9.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.16 ¥14.47

-15.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.89 ¥5.94

130.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.17 ¥7.80

102.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.43 ¥9.57

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.64 ¥4.28

54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.93 ¥6.25

7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.29 ¥1.93

444.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.55 ¥3.65

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.06 ¥20.45

160.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$12.19 ¥81.5

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.69 ¥4.63

84.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.76 ¥11.74

15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.44 ¥2.93

245.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.41 ¥9.41

134.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.39 ¥2.60

251.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.09 ¥47.43

179.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.34 ¥8.97

35.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.8K ¥132.2K

50.68%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$16.5K ¥110.5K

104.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$49.45 ¥331

246.05%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.60 ¥57.5

173.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$12.27 ¥82.1

89.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$30.28 ¥202

123.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.51 ¥30.19

318.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.49 ¥43.40

43.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$251 ¥1,676

112.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,533 ¥50.4K

122.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$30.21 ¥202

229.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.86 ¥266

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$72.5 ¥485

52.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$44.20 ¥296

169.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$444 ¥2,968

259.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$273 ¥1,826

328.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-4.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,223 ¥8,178

217.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$592 ¥3,957

179.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.35

92.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jiangmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Jiangmen

$230 44.9% 10.6% $27

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Jiangmen

$80 15.6% 64% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Jiangmen

$70 13.7% 67.7% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 49.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 49.8% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1% 88.5% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 179% 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 $30.00 in Jiangmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $230 – making Jiangmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,448,871

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Jiangmen 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 215%, 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 $770 in Jiangmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $30.00 in Jiangmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jiangmen, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Jiangmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jiangmen – 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 Jiangmen. 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.