Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Jinju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinju: $1,448 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
Learn more

Jinju Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Jinju

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,448 in Jinju, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Jinju $1,448

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,429 in Jinju, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Jinju $2,429

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $3,410 in Jinju, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Jinju $3,410

Budapest costs about 13% more than Jinju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Jinju sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Jinju by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$8.79 ₩11.7K

59.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$67.2 ₩89.3K

-9.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.33 ₩9,746

41.47%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$4.04 ₩5,378

-14.36%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.63 ₩2,164

26.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.79 ₩1,049

124.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.85 ₩5,117

-4.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.96 ₩7,928

-36.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$2.03 ₩2,701

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$3.14 ₩4,173

-41.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$4.40 ₩5,850

-45.45%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.65 ₩4,850

9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$17.53 ₩23.3K

-34.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$10.42 ₩13.9K

-34.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$25.81 ₩34.3K

-43.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$7.61 ₩10.1K

-75.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$3.38 ₩4,495

-36.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$5.69 ₩7,570

-59.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$6.44 ₩8,568

-37.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$3.74 ₩4,968

-72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.60 ₩3,455

-61.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$2.87 ₩3,822

-44.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.15 ₩1,524

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.28 ₩4,367

144.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$18.58 ₩24.7K

-66.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.36 ₩3,144

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.20 ₩4,258

-35.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.15 ₩1,527

38.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.63 ₩4,823

-5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.64 ₩846

107.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$8.81 ₩11.7K

132.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.49 ₩1,982

29.53%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$29.0K ₩38.6M

0.42%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$28.1K ₩37.4M

23.49%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$217 ₩288.6K

-19.57%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$35.79 ₩47.6K

-34.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$20.79 ₩27.6K

13.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$55.1 ₩73.2K

25.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$13.25 ₩17.6K

45.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.24 ₩15.0K

-8.27%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$371 ₩493.2K

44.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.7K ₩30.2M

-25.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$57.7 ₩76.7K

73.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$32.31 ₩43.0K

33.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$70.2 ₩93.3K

59.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$81.9 ₩108.9K

45.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$453 ₩602.1K

83.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$318 ₩423.4K

97.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,162 ₩1.5M

36.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$860 ₩1.1M

39.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$6,219 ₩8.3M

-8.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$6,161 ₩8.2M

-35.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.08

58.09%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jinju: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Jinju

$318 22% 49.4% $311

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Jinju

$476 32.9% 82% $215

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Jinju

$182 12.6% 19.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Jinju

$274 18.9% 23.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Jinju

$109 7.5% 35.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Jinju

$78 5.4% 13.3% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Jinju

$11 * 0.8% 74.1% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $453 in Jinju. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $67.0 in Jinju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $476 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Jinju

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

340,548

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Jinju 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Jinju

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 Jinju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $2,172 in Jinju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jinju, 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 $67.0 in Jinju. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 82% 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 Jinju, where all-in costs run around $1,448, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Jinju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jinju – 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 Jinju. 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.