Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
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Khon Kaen Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Khon Kaen

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $613 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Khon Kaen $613

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,029 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Khon Kaen $1,029

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,444 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Khon Kaen $1,444

Budapest costs about 164% more than Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Khon Kaen is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.98 ฿99.7

367.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$29.88 ฿999

104.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.03 ฿202

68.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.46 ฿48.84

123.29%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.59 ฿19.67

262.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.27 ฿8.92

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.74 ฿58.3

113.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.76 ฿226

-44.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.88 ฿29.38

182.95%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.47 ฿82.6

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.92 ฿30.82

122.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.46 ฿48.83

62.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.50 ฿50.1

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.61 ฿20.51

159.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.49 ฿16.41

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.69 ฿56.4

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.21 ฿40.47

13.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.34 ฿44.66

35.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-33.93%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.8K ฿895.5K

26.19%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$94.1 ฿3,146

81.77%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.76 ฿594

32.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$29.78 ฿995

-21.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$60.5 ฿2,022

11.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.08 ฿203

52.96%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,748 ฿292.3K

91.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$29.67 ฿992

235.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.23 ฿1,177

23.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.1 ฿2,510

46.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$87.7 ฿2,931

35.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$278 ฿9,297

198.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$161 ฿5,366

287.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$757 ฿25.3K

110.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$484 ฿16.2K

141.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2% 74.2% $461

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3% 82.7% $213

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9% 61.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1% 35% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7% 38.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9% 15.6% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1% 86.3% $38

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 $278 in Khon Kaen. 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 $30.00 in Khon Kaen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $45.00 – making Khon Kaen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

114,459

💱 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 = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Khon Kaen 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Khon Kaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $920 in Khon Kaen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 479% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $30.00 in Khon Kaen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khon Kaen, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Khon Kaen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Khon Kaen – 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 Khon Kaen. 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.