Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pathum Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathum Thani: $785 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pathum Thani
Learn more

Pathum Thani Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Pathum Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pathum Thani

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $785 in Pathum Thani, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Pathum Thani $785

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,329 in Pathum Thani, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Pathum Thani $1,329

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,873 in Pathum Thani, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Pathum Thani $1,873

Budapest costs about 106% more than Pathum Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pathum Thani is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.79 ฿59.9

678.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.25 ฿744

175.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.90 ฿197

72.71%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.73 ฿58.0

88.44%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.42 ฿14.03

409.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.18 ฿6.05

888.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.73 ฿57.7

114.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.13 ฿71.3

77.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.47 ฿49.07

-21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.32 ฿44.22

35.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.23 ฿41.03

102.44%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.80 ฿60.2

116.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.52 ฿418

-11.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.43 ฿81.1

172.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.06 ฿403

21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.60 ฿120

-49.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.96 ฿31.93

113.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.49 ฿83.3

-4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.58 ฿52.8

146.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.97 ฿66.0

-49.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.04 ฿34.74

-3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.77 ฿25.70

105.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.44 ฿14.85

52.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.53 ฿151

75.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.87 ฿464

-55.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.51 ฿50.3

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.66 ฿55.6

22.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.60 ฿20.07

153.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.06 ฿35.28

212.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.53 ฿51.1

-10.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$8.76 ฿293

126.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.16 ฿38.69

56.90%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$17.5K ฿585.7K

70.04%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.9K ฿797.8K

41.64%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$82.3 ฿2,751

107.87%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.23 ฿309

154.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.22 ฿341

127.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.61 ฿990

128.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.63 ฿222

40.27%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$196 ฿6,543

172.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$10.7K ฿357.5K

56.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$5.91 ฿198

1585.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.81 ฿1,197

21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.5 ฿2,388

54.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$52.8 ฿1,765

125.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$453 ฿15.1K

83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$263 ฿8,805

136.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,476 ฿49.3K

7.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$738 ฿24.6K

58.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,477 ฿149.6K

30.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,199 ฿73.5K

76.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$396 ฿13.2K

316.99%

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 Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Pathum Thani

$263 33.6% 57.6% $358

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Pathum Thani

$223 28.4% 13.7% $35

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Pathum Thani

$68 8.7% 69.4% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Pathum Thani

$102 13% 53.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Pathum Thani

$75 9.5% 55.4% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Pathum Thani

$43 5.5% 50.2% $43

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Pathum Thani

$11 * 1.4% 74.9% $33

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 $453 in Pathum Thani. 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 317% 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 $22.00 in Pathum Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $223 – making Pathum Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Pathum Thani

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

18,320

💱 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 = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Pathum Thani 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Pathum Thani

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 Pathum Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 106%, 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 $1,177 in Pathum Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pathum Thani, 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 $22.00 in Pathum Thani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 Pathum Thani, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pathum Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pathum Thani – 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 Pathum Thani. 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.