Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Lampang

For one person, living is cheaper in Lampang: $830 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Lampang
🇹🇭 Thailand
$830
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Lampang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $830 in Lampang, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Lampang $830

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,385 in Lampang, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Lampang $1,385

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,940 in Lampang, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Lampang $1,940

Budapest costs about 95% more than Lampang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Lampang is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$2.11 ฿70.6
560.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$19.26 ฿644
217.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$5.34 ฿178
90.82%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$1.22 ฿40.93
167.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$0.37 ฿12.51
478.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.34 ฿11.40
423.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$1.53 ฿51.1
142.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$3.72 ฿124
1.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.99 ฿66.5
-42.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$1.40 ฿46.86
27.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$1.30 ฿43.41
91.54%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$2.18 ฿73.0
78.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$16.92 ฿565
-34.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$2.75 ฿92.0
140.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$9.00 ฿301
63.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$2.46 ฿82.4
-25.61%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.03 ฿34.54
99.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$1.62 ฿54.1
46.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$1.49 ฿49.80
161.74%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$1.26 ฿41.99
-21.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$1.08 ฿35.93
-7.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$0.77 ฿25.84
105.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.51 ฿16.89
31.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$4.20 ฿140
89.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$17.79 ฿594
-65.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$1.56 ฿52.1
-18.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$2.85 ฿95.3
-28.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.92 ฿30.78
65.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$1.21 ฿40.41
173.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$0.54 ฿17.89
153.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$2.36 ฿78.9
740.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.06 ฿35.27
71.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$20.7K ฿690.4K
44.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$27.0K ฿903.6K
25.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$30.02 ฿1,003
470.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$12.40 ฿414
89.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$18.14 ฿606
28.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$46.34 ฿1,549
45.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
$14.24 ฿476
32.65%
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$5.50 ฿184
69.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$782 ฿26.1K
-31.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$14.9K ฿498.4K
12.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$53.9 ฿1,800
84.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$24.45 ฿817
77.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$91.6 ฿3,063
20.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$70.6 ฿2,359
68.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$444 ฿14.8K
87.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$295 ฿9,856
110.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$1,368 ฿45.7K
16.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$730 ฿24.4K
60.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$1,912 ฿63.9K
205.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$1,568 ฿52.4K
147.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Lampang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$599 ฿20.0K
175.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
3
115.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lampang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Lampang
$295 52.6% $327
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Lampang
$236 8.5% $22
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Lampang
$66 70.6% $157
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Lampang
$61 72.2% $157
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Lampang
$108 35.4% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Lampang
$57 33.4% $29
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Lampang
$7.6 * 82.9% $37

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 $444 in Lampang. 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 176% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $19.00 in Lampang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $236 – making Lampang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇹🇭 Lampang
🕒 Local time
23:25 11:25 PM
04:25 4:25 AM
5 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
52,124
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Lampang 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Lampang

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 Lampang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lampang cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,245 in Lampang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lampang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Lampang?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $19.00 in Lampang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Lampang?
Groceries cost about 9% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Lampang?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lampang, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Lampang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Lampang more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lampang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Lampang?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lampang. 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.

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