Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Koh Phangan

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,018 in Koh Phangan, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Koh Phangan $1,018

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,673 in Koh Phangan, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Koh Phangan $1,673

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,328 in Koh Phangan, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Koh Phangan $2,328

Budapest costs about 59% more than Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Koh Phangan is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$4.05 ฿136

245.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$29.43 ฿989

105.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$7.59 ฿255

31.23%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$2.50 ฿84.2

35.20%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.81 ฿27.09

162.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.45 ฿15.01

315.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.30 ฿77.4

63.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.41 ฿114

4.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.59 ฿53.5

-28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.36 ฿45.86

35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.50 ฿50.5

59.33%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.05 ฿68.9

86.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$18.36 ฿617

-38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.17 ฿107

112.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$10.61 ฿357

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.79 ฿93.9

-34.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.54 ฿51.7

30.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.10 ฿70.5

12.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.95 ฿65.7

93.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.44 ฿48.39

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.25 ฿41.97

-17.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.02 ฿34.39

52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.48 ฿16.09

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.15 ฿139

91.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$17.24 ฿580

-65.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.69 ฿56.7

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.63 ฿88.6

-20.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$2.00 ฿67.2

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.60 ฿87.4

26.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.93 ฿31.19

39.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$3.37 ฿113

486.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.29 ฿43.20

40.31%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$24.1K ฿809.2K

21.85%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.1K ฿810.2K

41.53%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$98.9 ฿3,324

71.88%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$11.05 ฿371

117.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$16.87 ฿567

38.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$53.1 ฿1,784

24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$10.77 ฿362

78.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$7.53 ฿253

26.43%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$557 ฿18.7K

-3.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$11.7K ฿392.3K

42.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$64.0 ฿2,151

58.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$28.52 ฿959

50.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$95.9 ฿3,223

17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$86.9 ฿2,922

36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$513 ฿17.2K

57.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$321 ฿10.8K

95.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,442 ฿48.5K

7.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$843 ฿28.4K

38.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,420 ฿81.4K

132.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,779 ฿59.8K

123.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$709 ฿23.8K

129.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

5.57

15.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6% 48.9% $308

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9% 1.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7% 51.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5% 41.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2% 26.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 20.1% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5% 64.9% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $513 in Koh Phangan. 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 129% 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 $29.00 in Koh Phangan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $253 – making Koh Phangan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Koh Phangan 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Koh Phangan

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 Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,527 in Koh Phangan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Phangan, 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 $60.0 in Budapest and $29.00 in Koh Phangan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Phangan, where all-in costs run around $1,018, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Koh Phangan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Koh Phangan – 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 Koh Phangan. 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.