Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pak Kret

For one person, living is cheaper in Pak Kret: $934 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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 Pak Kret
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Pak Kret Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Pak Kret

🇹🇭 Thailand

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pak Kret

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $934 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Pak Kret $934

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,556 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Pak Kret $1,556

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,178 in Pak Kret, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Pak Kret $2,178

Budapest costs about 73% more than Pak Kret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pak Kret is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.94 ฿98.4

374.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$36.19 ฿1,209

69.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.92 ฿231

47.25%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.02 ฿67.6

61.39%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.67 ฿22.45

219.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.30 ฿9.95

493.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.41 ฿80.6

53.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.63 ฿88.1

43.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.78 ฿59.4

-35.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.47 ฿49.15

21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.40 ฿46.72

77.86%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.21 ฿73.9

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.53 ฿519

-28.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.54 ฿84.9

160.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.01 ฿334

46.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.49 ฿116

-47.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.20 ฿40.17

70.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.83 ฿61.1

29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.87 ฿62.4

108.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.20 ฿40.02

-17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.04 ฿34.80

-3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.28 ฿42.67

23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.48 ฿15.91

39.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.38 ฿146

81.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$14.93 ฿499

-58.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.69 ฿56.6

-24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.87 ฿96.0

-29.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.90 ฿30.22

68.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.06 ฿35.47

212.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.11 ฿37.11

23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.66 ฿122

441.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.42 ฿47.49

28.17%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$31.0K ฿1.0M

-3.98%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.7K ฿892.5K

26.61%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$93.5 ฿3,125

83.00%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.46 ฿383

105.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$18.10 ฿605

28.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$46.70 ฿1,561

44.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.31 ฿478

32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.62 ฿255

22.05%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$566 ฿18.9K

-5.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.4K ฿482.6K

16.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$51.0 ฿1,705

95.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.65 ฿991

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$94.3 ฿3,152

17.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$76.6 ฿2,561

55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$451 ฿15.1K

83.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$298 ฿9,947

108.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,389 ฿46.4K

14.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$740 ฿24.7K

58.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,924 ฿64.3K

203.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,553 ฿51.9K

150.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.25

22.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pak Kret: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Pak Kret

$298 31.9% 52.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Pak Kret

$238 25.5% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Pak Kret

$90 9.6% 59.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Pak Kret

$123 13.2% 43.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Pak Kret

$113 12.1% 32.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Pak Kret

$62 6.6% 28.1% $24

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Pak Kret

$10 * 1.1% 76.9% $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 $451 in Pak Kret. 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $238 – making Pak Kret the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Pak Kret

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

190,272

💱 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 Pak Kret 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Pak Kret

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 Pak Kret: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 73%, 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 $1,401 in Pak Kret. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pak Kret, 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 $36.00 in Pak Kret. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pak Kret, where all-in costs run around $934, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pak Kret it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pak Kret – 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 Pak Kret. 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.