Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kaohsiung

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,108 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Kaohsiung $1,108

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,821 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Kaohsiung $1,821

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,535 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Kaohsiung $2,535

Budapest costs about 46% more than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Kaohsiung is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$5.46 NT$174

156.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$31.96 NT$1,020

88.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.87 NT$155

104.52%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.83 NT$90.4

19.43%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.14 NT$36.40

86.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.71 NT$22.76

163.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.53 NT$48.85

145.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.55 NT$81.5

40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$3.25 NT$104

-65.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.19 NT$69.7

-15.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.07 NT$98.1

-22.15%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.67 NT$85.2

43.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$16.13 NT$515

-29.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$8.08 NT$258

-16.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$15.24 NT$486

-3.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$6.80 NT$217

-72.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.82 NT$90.1

-28.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.57 NT$82.0

-8.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.08 NT$98.4

22.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.84 NT$90.7

-66.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.06 NT$65.8

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.45 NT$78.2

-36.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.04 NT$33.18

-36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.54 NT$145

75.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$15.72 NT$502

-61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.67 NT$53.4

-22.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.25 NT$71.7

-7.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.68 NT$21.68

120.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$12.67 NT$404

117.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.76 NT$88.0

19.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.75 NT$23.98

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$5.51 NT$176

258.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.02 NT$32.50

77.45%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-12.83%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$23.0K NT$735.3K

48.02%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$84.8 NT$2,705

100.45%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$17.34 NT$553

38.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$25.77 NT$822

-9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$41.21 NT$1,315

60.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$10.41 NT$332

84.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.96 NT$350

-13.14%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$462 NT$14.7K

16.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$14.1K NT$449.2K

17.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$93.5 NT$2,982

8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$31.88 NT$1,017

34.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$85.9 NT$2,740

31.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$104 NT$3,314

14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$415 NT$13.2K

94.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$276 NT$8,808

127.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$979 NT$31.2K

58.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$668 NT$21.3K

74.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$4,588 NT$146.4K

22.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$3,154 NT$100.7K

25.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,462 NT$46.7K

11.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

2.56

151.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9% 56.1% $353

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1% 42.7% $110

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1% 49.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5% 41.2% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7% 26% $22

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kaohsiung

$22 2% 49.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $415 in Kaohsiung. 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 11% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $32.00 in Kaohsiung. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $368 in Kaohsiung – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kaohsiung 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,661 in Kaohsiung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kaohsiung, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 118% less in Kaohsiung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $462 in Kaohsiung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaohsiung, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kaohsiung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaohsiung – 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 Kaohsiung. 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.