Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kuala Terengganu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuala Terengganu: $924 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Terengganu
Learn more

Kuala Terengganu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kuala Terengganu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kuala Terengganu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $924 in Kuala Terengganu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kuala Terengganu $924

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,372 in Kuala Terengganu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kuala Terengganu $1,372

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,821 in Kuala Terengganu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kuala Terengganu $1,821

Budapest costs about 75% more than Kuala Terengganu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kuala Terengganu is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.49 MYR 10.15

459.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.06 MYR 94.1

165.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.72 MYR 19.25

115.89%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.72 MYR 11.08

19.85%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.47 MYR 1.90

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.28 MYR 1.14

535.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.56 MYR 14.52

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.18 MYR 17.05

-9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.70 MYR 6.94

-32.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.02 MYR 4.15

75.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.28 MYR 5.22

94.53%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.13 MYR 8.68

83.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.66 MYR 63.9

-29.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.35 MYR 17.73

52.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.41 MYR 34.29

74.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.36 MYR 13.73

-45.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.61 MYR 6.59

27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.10 MYR 8.59

12.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.50 MYR 6.13

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.47 MYR 6.01

-32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.09 MYR 4.45

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.00 MYR 4.09

58.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.53 MYR 2.17

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.46 MYR 18.18

78.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$17.84 MYR 72.8

-65.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.92 MYR 11.91

-56.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.82 MYR 19.66

-57.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.67 MYR 2.75

126.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$10.62 MYR 43.31

163.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.27 MYR 5.20

160.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.46 MYR 1.89

197.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.55 MYR 26.73

202.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.90 MYR 3.65

102.22%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$43.8K MYR 178.8K

-32.02%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$32.1K MYR 131.0K

5.31%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$45.25 MYR 185

278.17%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.79 MYR 35.87

167.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$25.10 MYR 102

-7.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$44.04 MYR 180

53.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.97 MYR 32.49

137.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.81 MYR 19.61

93.35%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$172 MYR 701

210.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,936 MYR 28.3K

141.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$57.5 MYR 235

73.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.37 MYR 148

19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$86.5 MYR 353

27.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$68.0 MYR 278

74.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$361 MYR 1,472

130.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$312 MYR 1,275

99.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$722 MYR 2,946

120.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$471 MYR 1,923

148.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,073 MYR 8,456

181.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,145 MYR 4,669

239.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.06

58.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kuala Terengganu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kuala Terengganu

$312 33.8% 49.8% $309

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kuala Terengganu

$254 27.5% 1.5% $3.8

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kuala Terengganu

$96 10.4% 57% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kuala Terengganu

$79 8.6% 63.7% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kuala Terengganu

$112 12.1% 33.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kuala Terengganu

$54 5.8% 37.7% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kuala Terengganu

$17 1.8% 61.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $361 in Kuala Terengganu. 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 $23.00 in Kuala Terengganu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $254 – making Kuala Terengganu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Kuala Terengganu

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

375,424

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Kuala Terengganu 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kuala Terengganu

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 Kuala Terengganu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 75%, 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 $1,386 in Kuala Terengganu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 164% less in Kuala Terengganu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $172 in Kuala Terengganu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kuala Terengganu, where all-in costs run around $924, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kuala Terengganu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kuala Terengganu – 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 Kuala Terengganu. 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.