Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Penang

For one person, living is cheaper in Penang: $839 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 Penang
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Penang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Penang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Penang

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $839 in Penang, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Penang $839

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,314 in Penang, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Penang $1,314

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,790 in Penang, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Penang $1,790

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$3.58 MYR 14.65

290.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$19.84 MYR 81.1

204.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$4.58 MYR 18.71

117.47%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.04 MYR 12.42

11.18%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.73 MYR 2.98

191.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.39 MYR 1.59

379.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$4.18 MYR 17.07

-10.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$4.32 MYR 17.65

-17.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.89 MYR 7.72

-40.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.08 MYR 4.42

70.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.77 MYR 7.24

35.03%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.23 MYR 9.11

71.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$13.69 MYR 56.0

-17.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$4.29 MYR 17.53

57.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$8.60 MYR 35.16

70.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$3.04 MYR 12.43

-39.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.71 MYR 6.97

17.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.67 MYR 10.91

-11.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.47 MYR 6.01

156.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.09 MYR 4.47

-11.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.07 MYR 4.39

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.14 MYR 4.67

36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.57 MYR 2.31

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.62 MYR 18.89

72.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$19.29 MYR 78.9

-68.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.93 MYR 11.96

-55.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$5.37 MYR 21.95

-61.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.51 MYR 2.08

194.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$12.30 MYR 50.3

124.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$1.75 MYR 7.17

88.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.37 MYR 1.52

251.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$7.27 MYR 29.72

172.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$0.94 MYR 3.86

92.55%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$41.0K MYR 167.4K

-28.39%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$34.9K MYR 142.6K

-2.19%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$36.55 MYR 149

364.95%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$9.97 MYR 40.75

140.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$29.32 MYR 120

-20.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$38.81 MYR 159

70.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$4.98 MYR 20.35

285.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$4.87 MYR 19.92

95.48%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$430 MYR 1,757

24.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$10.8K MYR 44.2K

53.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$60.3 MYR 246

68.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$35.26 MYR 144

21.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$83.5 MYR 341

35.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$69.8 MYR 285

70.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$402 MYR 1,643

100.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$232 MYR 950

170.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$621 MYR 2,537

149.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$410 MYR 1,678

184.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,212 MYR 9,045

153.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,057 MYR 4,323

275.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$943 MYR 3,855

72.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.04

59.16%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Penang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Penang

$232 27.1% 63.1% $397

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Penang

$258 30.1% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Penang

$113 13.2% 49.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Penang

$76 8.8% 65.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Penang

$112 13.1% 33.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Penang

$49 5.7% 43.1% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Penang

$18 2.1% 58.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $402 in Penang. 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 72% 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 $20.00 in Penang. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $258 in Penang – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Penang

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

158,336

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Penang 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Penang

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 Penang: 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 $1,259 in Penang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 124% less in Penang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $430 in Penang. 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 Penang, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Penang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Penang – 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 Penang. 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.