Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Khlong Luang

For one person, living is cheaper in Khlong Luang: $952 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Khlong Luang
Learn more

Khlong Luang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Khlong Luang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Khlong Luang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $952 in Khlong Luang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Khlong Luang $952

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,575 in Khlong Luang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Khlong Luang $1,575

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,198 in Khlong Luang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Khlong Luang $2,198

Budapest costs about 70% more than Khlong Luang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Khlong Luang is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.53 ฿118

294.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$36.21 ฿1,210

69.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.09 ฿304

12.10%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.05 ฿68.7

59.02%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.69 ฿23.12

210.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.30 ฿10.02

493.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.35 ฿78.4

57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.69 ฿89.8

40.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.71 ฿57.3

-32.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.46 ฿48.89

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.36 ฿45.41

83.09%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.21 ฿73.7

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.41 ฿515

-27.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.66 ฿88.9

148.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.93 ฿332

47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.36 ฿112

-45.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.19 ฿39.90

72.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.93 ฿64.5

22.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.97 ฿66.0

97.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.22 ฿40.92

-18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.04 ฿34.89

-3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.25 ฿41.81

26.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.44 ฿14.73

52.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.27 ฿143

86.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$17.90 ฿598

-65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.69 ฿56.5

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.90 ฿97.0

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.91 ฿30.57

67.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.32 ฿44.13

150.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.13 ฿37.73

21.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.61 ฿121

449.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.49 ฿49.63

22.15%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$45.4K ฿1.5M

-34.39%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.9K ฿899.7K

25.59%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$91.4 ฿3,053

87.32%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.41 ฿381

106.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$19.33 ฿646

20.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$46.86 ฿1,566

44.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.96 ฿466

35.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.47 ฿250

24.50%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$615 ฿20.6K

-13.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.2K ฿473.3K

18.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$51.2 ฿1,711

94.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.51 ฿986

47.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$93.8 ฿3,136

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$75.8 ฿2,533

56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$438 ฿14.7K

89.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$300 ฿10.0K

106.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,399 ฿46.8K

13.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$733 ฿24.5K

59.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,955 ฿65.3K

198.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,596 ฿53.3K

143.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.96

8.22%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Khlong Luang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Khlong Luang

$300 31.6% 51.7% $321

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Khlong Luang

$243 25.5% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Khlong Luang

$101 10.6% 54.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Khlong Luang

$122 12.8% 44% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Khlong Luang

$113 11.8% 32.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Khlong Luang

$62 6.5% 28.3% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Khlong Luang

$11 * 1.1% 76% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $438 in Khlong Luang. 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 $36.00 in Khlong Luang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $243 – making Khlong Luang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Khlong Luang

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

02:03 2:03 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

118,551

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Khlong Luang 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Khlong Luang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 70%, 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 $1,428 in Khlong Luang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khlong Luang, 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 $36.00 in Khlong Luang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khlong Luang, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Khlong Luang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Khlong Luang – 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 Khlong Luang. 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.