Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kedah

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
Learn more

Kedah Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kedah

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $877 in Kedah, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Kedah $877

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,399 in Kedah, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Kedah $1,399

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,920 in Kedah, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Kedah $1,920

Budapest costs about 87% more than Kedah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kedah is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$3.72 MYR 15.14

271.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$12.32 MYR 50.2

398.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$4.56 MYR 18.59

122.81%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.91 MYR 11.87

10.65%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.77 MYR 3.14

167.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.39 MYR 1.59

369.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$4.24 MYR 17.26

-15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$4.36 MYR 17.75

-16.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.88 MYR 7.66

-36.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.06 MYR 4.32

76.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.72 MYR 6.99

37.79%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.19 MYR 8.91

80.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$13.55 MYR 55.2

-17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$4.34 MYR 17.69

55.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$8.84 MYR 36.02

62.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$2.94 MYR 11.98

-38.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.63 MYR 6.65

29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.75 MYR 11.20

-15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.45 MYR 5.92

162.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.10 MYR 4.48

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.09 MYR 4.43

-10.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.13 MYR 4.61

37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.57 MYR 2.34

22.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$4.62 MYR 18.83

68.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$18.76 MYR 76.5

-67.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.98 MYR 12.15

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$5.33 MYR 21.72

-61.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.76 MYR 3.10

103.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$12.85 MYR 52.4

112.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$1.66 MYR 6.76

98.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.38 MYR 1.54

244.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$7.29 MYR 29.70

177.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$0.60 MYR 2.46

203.33%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

-37.06%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

-7.72%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$36.47 MYR 149

372.11%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$9.66 MYR 39.35

147.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$29.48 MYR 120

-20.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$34.63 MYR 141

98.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$6.85 MYR 27.92

176.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$4.79 MYR 19.53

112.53%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$388 MYR 1,579

54.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

57.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$58.9 MYR 240

68.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$34.76 MYR 142

24.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$81.6 MYR 333

38.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$70.7 MYR 288

65.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$358 MYR 1,458

133.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$258 MYR 1,051

148.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$712 MYR 2,902

124.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$607 MYR 2,472

98.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$1,930 MYR 7,865

191.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,258 MYR 5,124

202.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$1,339 MYR 5,456

24.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.04

59.65%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Kedah

$258 29.4% 59.7% $382

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kedah

$257 29.3% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Kedah

$113 12.9% 48.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Kedah

$76 8.6% 65.5% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Kedah

$111 12.6% 34% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Kedah

$44 5% 50.3% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kedah

$19 2.2% 55.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $358 in Kedah. 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 25% 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 in Budapest versus $12 in Kedah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $257 – making Kedah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Kedah

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

417,800

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kedah 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kedah

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 Kedah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,316 in Kedah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kedah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $12 in Kedah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Kedah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kedah, where all-in costs run around $877, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Kedah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kedah – 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 Kedah. 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.