Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Malang

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $474 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Malang
Learn more

Malang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Malang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $474 in Malang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Malang $474

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $729 in Malang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Malang $729

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $984 in Malang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Malang $984

Budapest costs about 241% more than Malang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Malang is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,492

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

1155.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.7K

$11.07 Rp 199.2K

453.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,284

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

269.20%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,052

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

143.28%

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

$2.14 Ft 689

$0.60 Rp 10.8K

256.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 575

$0.23 Rp 4,146

673.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,195

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

62.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,215

$4.25 Rp 76.6K

-11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 370

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 576

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

59.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 802

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

196.43%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,258

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

214.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,579

$5.89 Rp 106.0K

88.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,134

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

114.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,734

$7.20 Rp 129.7K

104.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 590

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

-9.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 660

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 764

$1.58 Rp 28.4K

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,257

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

172.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

-23.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 321

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

-47.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.47 Rp 8,439

236.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 215

$0.42 Rp 7,580

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,566

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

200.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,004

$12.47 Rp 224.5K

-50.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 410

$1.67 Rp 30.1K

-23.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 653

$3.00 Rp 53.9K

-32.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 489

$0.60 Rp 10.7K

153.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,032

$5.61 Rp 100.9K

399.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,067

$0.48 Rp 8,631

589.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 441

$0.40 Rp 7,244

242.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,391

$5.45 Rp 98.1K

263.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 587

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

145.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.9K Rp 448.9M

19.47%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$27.7K Rp 498.8M

22.01%

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

$171 Ft 55.2K

$30.83 Rp 555.0K

455.04%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,579

$2.41 Rp 43.3K

875.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,508

$19.51 Rp 351.1K

19.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

360.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,090

$4.47 Rp 80.5K

322.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 2,997

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

384.38%

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

$533 Ft 171.9K

$30.88 Rp 555.9K

1627.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,452 Rp 170.1M

77.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.1K

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

76.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$22.41 Rp 403.4K

94.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$51.9 Rp 934.9K

112.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.3K

$35.74 Rp 643.3K

232.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 267.7K

$136 Rp 2.5M

509.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.5K

$91.5 Rp 1.6M

579.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 513.7K

$193 Rp 3.5M

724.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 377.2K

$156 Rp 2.8M

648.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 532.2K

$203 Rp 3.7M

712.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

61.25%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Malang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Malang

$92 19.3% 85.3% $530

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Malang

$169 35.7% 34.3% $89

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Malang

$56 11.9% 74.7% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Malang

$53 11.1% 75.8% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Malang

$75 15.8% 55.3% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Malang

$19 3.9% 78.5% $68

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Malang

$10 2.2% 76.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $136 in Malang. 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 712% 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 $11.00 in Malang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $169 – making Malang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇩 Malang

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

857,891

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,268 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Malang 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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 Malang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 241%, 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 $711 in Malang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 399% less in Malang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $30.88 in Malang. 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 Malang, where all-in costs run around $474, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Malang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malang – 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 Malang. 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.