Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Nanjing

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanjing: $841 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Nanjing

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $841 in Nanjing, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Nanjing $841

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,339 in Nanjing, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Nanjing $1,339

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,837 in Nanjing, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Nanjing $1,837

Budapest costs about 93% more than Nanjing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Nanjing is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$3.67 ¥24.58

281.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$22.21 ¥149

171.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$4.97 ¥33.28

100.40%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.01 ¥20.15

12.29%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.50 ¥3.32

326.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.27 ¥1.81

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.45 ¥9.68

158.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.29 ¥15.31

55.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$2.16 ¥14.48

-47.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.07 ¥13.86

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$0.91 ¥6.08

162.64%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.35 ¥9.04

183.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.64 ¥71.2

6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.02 ¥20.23

123.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$8.97 ¥60.0

63.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.09 ¥13.98

-11.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.28 ¥8.60

57.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.77 ¥11.88

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.07 ¥7.18

252.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.91 ¥6.09

5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.90 ¥6.06

14.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.93 ¥6.25

67.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.52 ¥3.45

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.75 ¥25.09

112.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$13.34 ¥89.3

-54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.01 ¥6.74

28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.56 ¥10.47

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.31 ¥2.08

383.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$29.72 ¥199

-7.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.75 ¥11.73

88.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.41 ¥2.77

217.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$8.91 ¥59.7

122.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.37 ¥9.15

32.12%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

53.32%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$16.6K ¥110.8K

106.08%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$53.6 ¥359

217.17%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$7.59 ¥50.8

215.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$7.28 ¥48.74

221.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$28.49 ¥191

132.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$33.70 ¥226

-43.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$5.86 ¥39.21

62.46%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$1,459 ¥9,769

-63.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$22.5K ¥150.9K

-26.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$43.40 ¥291

133.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$33.88 ¥227

26.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$65.7 ¥440

71.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$86.9 ¥582

36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$529 ¥3,541

52.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$295 ¥1,977

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,115 ¥7,464

38.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$557 ¥3,728

109.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$5,013 ¥33.6K

12.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$3,140 ¥21.0K

26.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,419 ¥9,500

14.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.42

88.01%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Nanjing

$295 35.1% 53% $334

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Nanjing

$205 24.4% 20.3% $52

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Nanjing

$95 11.3% 57.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Nanjing

$68 8.1% 68.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Nanjing

$103 12.3% 38.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Nanjing

$40 4.8% 52.8% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Nanjing

$35 4.1% 19.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $529 in Nanjing. 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 15% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $22.00 in Nanjing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $205 – making Nanjing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

15:30 3:30 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

9,314,685

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Nanjing 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Nanjing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 93%, 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 $1,262 in Nanjing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 8% less in Nanjing. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $1,459 in Nanjing. 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 Nanjing, where all-in costs run around $841, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Nanjing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanjing – 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 Nanjing. 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.