Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Loei

For one person, living is cheaper in Loei: $915 a month against $1,619 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 Loei
Learn more

Loei Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Loei

🇹🇭 Thailand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Loei

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $915 in Loei, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Loei $915

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,493 in Loei, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Loei $1,493

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,070 in Loei, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Loei $2,070

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.93 ฿98.1

375.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.08 ฿738

177.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.78 ฿226

50.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.04 ฿68.2

59.80%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.74 ฿24.68

189.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.37 ฿12.28

381.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.03 ฿67.7

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.88 ฿96.3

30.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.75 ฿58.4

-34.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.44 ฿48.15

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.30 ฿43.32

91.54%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.18 ฿72.8

78.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$16.22 ฿542

-31.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.67 ฿89.1

147.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.18 ฿340

44.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.98 ฿99.6

-38.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.03 ฿34.56

99.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.22 ฿74.3

6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.83 ฿61.2

113.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.48 ฿49.51

-33.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.11 ฿37.09

-9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.11 ฿37.26

42.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.48 ฿16.06

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.41 ฿147

80.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$17.36 ฿580

-64.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.69 ฿56.5

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.77 ฿92.5

-26.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.86 ฿28.88

76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.30 ฿43.52

154.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.08 ฿36.20

26.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.73 ฿158

319.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.35 ฿45.08

34.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$26.6K ฿888.2K

12.12%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.4K ฿882.3K

28.08%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$83.8 ฿2,802

104.10%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.44 ฿382

105.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$19.35 ฿647

20.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$47.47 ฿1,587

42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.92 ฿465

35.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.36 ฿212

46.23%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$574 ฿19.2K

-7.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.8K ฿362.4K

54.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$51.2 ฿1,712

94.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.41 ฿983

47.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.7 ฿2,630

40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$75.2 ฿2,515

58.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$438 ฿14.6K

89.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$293 ฿9,801

112.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,405 ฿47.0K

13.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$725 ฿24.2K

61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,942 ฿64.9K

200.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,596 ฿53.3K

143.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Loei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Loei

$293 32% 52.8% $329

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Loei

$243 26.6% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Loei

$89 9.7% 60.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Loei

$115 12.5% 47.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Loei

$106 11.5% 37% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Loei

$60 6.6% 30.1% $26

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Loei

$10 * 1.1% 77% $34

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 $438 in Loei. 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 $22.00 in Loei. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $243 – making Loei the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Loei

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

22,677

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Loei 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Loei

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 Loei: 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 $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,373 in Loei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $22.00 in Loei. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Loei, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Loei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Loei – 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 Loei. 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.