Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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 Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kulim

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $891 in Kulim, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Kulim $891

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,374 in Kulim, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Kulim $1,374

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,857 in Kulim, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Kulim $1,857

Budapest costs about 84% more than Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kulim is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$3.72 MYR 15.17

271.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$19.45 MYR 79.3

215.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$4.53 MYR 18.45

124.28%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.89 MYR 11.76

11.42%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.78 MYR 3.19

164.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.42 MYR 1.70

335.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$4.61 MYR 18.76

-20.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.23 MYR 5.00

52.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.30 MYR 5.29

82.31%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.23 MYR 9.07

77.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$12.68 MYR 51.7

-11.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$3.85 MYR 15.70

75.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$10.72 MYR 43.69

33.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$3.05 MYR 12.42

-40.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$1.89 MYR 7.68

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-8.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.44 MYR 5.88

163.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.19 MYR 4.83

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.36 MYR 5.54

-27.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.08 MYR 4.41

43.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.53 MYR 2.15

32.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$4.47 MYR 18.22

74.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$21.05 MYR 85.8

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$3.07 MYR 12.49

-58.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-47.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.75 MYR 3.06

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$12.64 MYR 51.5

115.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$1.04 MYR 4.23

217.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.56 MYR 2.28

133.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$8.26 MYR 33.64

145.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$0.74 MYR 3.00

145.95%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-41.23%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

7.02%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$45.19 MYR 184

281.01%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$8.70 MYR 35.44

175.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$25.83 MYR 105

-9.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$36.10 MYR 147

90.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$7.37 MYR 30.04

156.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$4.46 MYR 18.16

128.25%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$268 MYR 1,091

124.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

136.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$62.2 MYR 253

59.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$30.78 MYR 125

40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$77.2 MYR 314

46.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$70.8 MYR 289

65.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$419 MYR 1,707

99.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$265 MYR 1,079

141.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$763 MYR 3,110

109.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$497 MYR 2,026

142.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$2,141 MYR 8,723

162.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,272 MYR 5,184

198.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

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 27, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 58.6% $375

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 1.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 49.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Kulim

$80 9% 63.7% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 35.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 49.4% $44

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 55.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $419 in Kulim. 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 in Budapest versus $19 in Kulim. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $262 in Kulim – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

319,056

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Kulim 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,336 in Kulim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $19 in Kulim. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Kulim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,638 in Budapest and $891 in Kulim. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kulim – 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.