Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Miaoli

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $794 in Miaoli, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Miaoli $794

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,109 in Miaoli, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Miaoli $1,109

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,425 in Miaoli, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Miaoli $1,425

Budapest costs about 104% more than Miaoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Miaoli is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$2.46 NT$78.6

468.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$23.69 NT$756

154.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$4.69 NT$150

112.37%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.01 NT$96.1

12.29%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$0.86 NT$27.33

147.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.53 NT$16.97

252.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.23 NT$39.22

204.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$1.36 NT$43.36

162.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$2.69 NT$86.0

-57.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.25 NT$39.79

47.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.72 NT$86.7

-12.13%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.21 NT$70.5

73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$9.25 NT$295

22.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$7.54 NT$241

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$21.84 NT$697

-32.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.74 NT$119

-50.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.98 NT$63.2

1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.05 NT$97.3

-22.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$3.09 NT$98.5

22.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$2.47 NT$78.9

-61.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$2.04 NT$65.2

-49.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$2.30 NT$73.5

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.87 NT$27.78

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$4.06 NT$129

96.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$10.99 NT$351

-45.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.49 NT$47.39

-12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.08 NT$66.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$2.90 NT$92.6

13.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.75 NT$23.97

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$7.05 NT$225

180.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.03 NT$32.92

75.73%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-11.87%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$23.8K NT$758.4K

43.51%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$69.0 NT$2,201

146.40%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$18.41 NT$587

30.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$22.34 NT$713

4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.97 NT$350

-13.22%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$517 NT$16.5K

3.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$31.7K NT$1.0M

-47.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$12.55 NT$400

707.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$25.14 NT$802

71.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$63.8 NT$2,036

76.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$99.4 NT$3,172

19.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$217 NT$6,917

271.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$158 NT$5,030

299.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$2,500 NT$79.8K

-34.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

2.38

170.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Miaoli

$158 20.1% 74.9% $472

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Miaoli

$313 39.9% 21.5% $55

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Miaoli

$84 10.8% 62.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Miaoli

$110 14% 49.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Miaoli

$90 11.5% 46.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 74.3% $63

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9% 84.7% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $217 in Miaoli. 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 54% higher in Miaoli, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $24.00 in Miaoli. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $313 in Miaoli – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

02:14 2:14 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

89,892

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Miaoli 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,191 in Miaoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Miaoli, 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 $60.0 in Budapest and $24.00 in Miaoli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Miaoli, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Miaoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miaoli – 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 Miaoli. 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.