Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kota Kinabalu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kota Kinabalu

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $917 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Kota Kinabalu $917

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,429 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Kota Kinabalu $1,429

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,941 in Kota Kinabalu, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Kota Kinabalu $1,941

Budapest costs about 77% more than Kota Kinabalu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Kota Kinabalu is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$3.57 MYR 14.59

291.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$19.54 MYR 79.8

208.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.92 MYR 20.09

102.44%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.63 MYR 10.74

28.52%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.60 MYR 2.44

255.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.30 MYR 1.22

523.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.39 MYR 9.75

56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.74 MYR 15.27

-4.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-35.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.28 MYR 5.23

43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.26 MYR 9.23

5.75%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.46 MYR 14.13

10.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$28.33 MYR 116

-60.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$3.69 MYR 15.05

82.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$6.68 MYR 27.27

119.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.24 MYR 9.15

-17.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.43 MYR 5.84

40.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.94 MYR 7.91

21.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.99 MYR 8.13

89.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.67 MYR 6.81

-42.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.13 MYR 8.71

-51.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.94 MYR 3.84

65.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.47 MYR 1.93

40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.92 MYR 20.10

61.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$15.84 MYR 64.7

-62.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$3.63 MYR 14.81

-64.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.47 MYR 10.07

-15.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.91 MYR 7.80

-21.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$41.92 MYR 171

-34.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.91 MYR 7.82

72.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.23 MYR 0.94

465.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.76 MYR 3.11

138.16%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

-30.40%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

-4.28%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$70.5 MYR 288

141.12%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.69 MYR 39.56

147.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$32.36 MYR 132

-27.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$52.3 MYR 214

26.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$3.09 MYR 12.64

520.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$5.22 MYR 21.31

82.38%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$141 MYR 575

281.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

137.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$81.5 MYR 333

24.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$36.64 MYR 150

17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$93.7 MYR 382

20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$48.75 MYR 199

143.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$425 MYR 1,735

89.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$193 MYR 788

226.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$679 MYR 2,771

128.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$368 MYR 1,501

217.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,848 MYR 7,546

203.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,099 MYR 4,489

260.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$592 MYR 2,419

174.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.9

64.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9% 69.3% $436

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1% 11.6% $30

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6% 56.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2% 48.2% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7% 30.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8% 26.4% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7% 21.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $425 in Kota Kinabalu. 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 174% 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $288 in Kota Kinabalu – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

500,425

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Kota Kinabalu 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kota Kinabalu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 77%, 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 $1,375 in Kota Kinabalu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 52% less in Kota Kinabalu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $141 in Kota Kinabalu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kota Kinabalu, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kota Kinabalu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Kinabalu – 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 Kota Kinabalu. 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.