Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Liaocheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Liaocheng: $650 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Liaocheng
Learn more

Liaocheng Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Liaocheng

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Liaocheng

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $650 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Liaocheng $650

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,036 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Liaocheng $1,036

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,422 in Liaocheng, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Liaocheng $1,422

Budapest costs about 153% more than Liaocheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Liaocheng is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$2.56 ¥17.11

448.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$13.71 ¥91.7

344.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.89 ¥32.69

112.07%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.89 ¥12.66

83.07%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.37 ¥2.46

459.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.21 ¥1.40

742.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$0.79 ¥5.27

367.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.94 ¥12.94

95.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.52 ¥10.17

-23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.41 ¥9.45

31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$0.92 ¥6.18

160.87%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.08 ¥7.21

269.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$11.62 ¥77.7

-1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$2.91 ¥19.46

136.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$11.01 ¥73.6

31.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.39 ¥9.30

35.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.00 ¥6.71

114.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.42 ¥9.52

61.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.13 ¥7.58

257.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.58 ¥3.85

75.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.74 ¥4.94

33.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.58 ¥3.85

172.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.63 ¥4.19

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$2.20 ¥14.71

265.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.84 ¥65.8

-37.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.72 ¥4.79

72.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.35 ¥9.06

52.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.29 ¥1.94

448.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$18.03 ¥121

52.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.22 ¥8.13

181.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.27 ¥1.82

392.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$4.56 ¥30.51

348.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.10 ¥7.38

75.45%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$19.8K ¥132.2K

47.38%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$14.9K ¥99.6K

133.10%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$45.39 ¥304

284.64%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$5.88 ¥39.31

301.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$5.15 ¥34.46

358.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.26 ¥276

66.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$14.79 ¥98.9

30.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$4.43 ¥29.64

132.73%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$216 ¥1,444

147.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$19.9K ¥133.3K

-15.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$34.21 ¥229

191.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$29.89 ¥200

44.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$70.7 ¥473

57.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$59.1 ¥395

101.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$304 ¥2,035

173.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$183 ¥1,224

243.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$639 ¥4,275

148.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$383 ¥2,563

212.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$3,543 ¥23.7K

61.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,302 ¥8,708

203.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$590 ¥3,945

190.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.13

106.07%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Liaocheng: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Liaocheng

$183 28.2% 70.9% $446

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Liaocheng

$183 28.2% 30% $79

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Liaocheng

$68 10.5% 70% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Liaocheng

$56 8.7% 74.6% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Liaocheng

$87 13.4% 48.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Liaocheng

$50 7.7% 44% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Liaocheng

$22 3.4% 50.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $304 in Liaocheng. 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 190% 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 $14.00 in Liaocheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $183 – making Liaocheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Liaocheng

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,230,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Liaocheng 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Liaocheng

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 Liaocheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $975 in Liaocheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 53% less in Liaocheng. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $216 in Liaocheng. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Liaocheng, where all-in costs run around $650, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Liaocheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Liaocheng – 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 Liaocheng. 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.