Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pathein

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathein: $1,021 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Pathein
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Pathein Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pathein

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,021 in Pathein, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Pathein $1,021

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,830 in Pathein, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Pathein $1,830

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,639 in Pathein, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Pathein $2,639

Budapest costs about 59% more than Pathein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pathein is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.48 MMK 3,095

841.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.79 MMK 41.4K

209.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.97 MMK 16.7K

27.85%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.47 MMK 3,082

121.77%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.52 MMK 1,098

311.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.51 MMK 1,078

249.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.48 MMK 3,108

150.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$0.98 MMK 2,048

284.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.46 MMK 3,047

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.98 MMK 6,249

-16.44%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.47 MMK 5,165

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$40.74 MMK 85.3K

-72.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.92 MMK 12.4K

11.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.06 MMK 16.9K

82.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$10.02 MMK 21.0K

-81.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$10.08 MMK 21.1K

-76.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.91 MMK 10.3K

-20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$4.07 MMK 8,530

-75.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.01 MMK 4,217

-50.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.52 MMK 1,098

203.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.95 MMK 6,185

169.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$20.03 MMK 41.9K

-68.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.48 MMK 3,094

-14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.98 MMK 4,152

2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.02 MMK 2,145

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.97 MMK 6,222

567.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.99 MMK 4,161

-8.54%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$32.5K MMK 68.0M

-8.30%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

7.67%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$20.30 MMK 42.5K

15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.18 MMK 21.3K

128.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$151 MMK 316.3K

-55.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$2.05 MMK 4,298

353.66%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$396 MMK 829.8K

34.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,748 MMK 9.9M

252.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$20.34 MMK 42.6K

389.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$14.75 MMK 30.9K

194.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$49.03 MMK 102.7K

125.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$60.1 MMK 125.8K

97.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$401 MMK 840.1K

106.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$301 MMK 631.0K

106.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,089 MMK 2.3M

46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$984 MMK 2.1M

18.90%

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 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pathein: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Pathein

$301 29.5% 51.5% $321

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Pathein

$397 * 38.9% 53.9% $139

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Pathein

$67 6.6% 70% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Pathein

$30 * 3% 86% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Pathein

$65 6.4% 61.3% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Pathein

$155 15.2% 80.2% $69

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Pathein

$5.1 * 0.5% 88.4% $39

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 $401 in Pathein. 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 $20.00 in Pathein. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $397 in Pathein – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇲 Pathein

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

315,600

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,354 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Pathein 7,570 km ≈ 10 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Pathein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,532 in Pathein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pathein, 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 $20.00 in Pathein. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 54% 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 Pathein, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pathein it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pathein – 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 Pathein. 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.