Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
Learn more

Pingtung city Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Pingtung city

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $890 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Pingtung city $890

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,441 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Pingtung city $1,441

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,993 in Pingtung city, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Pingtung city $1,993

Budapest costs about 84% more than Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Pingtung city is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,520

$4.51 NT$147

206.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.1K

$30.78 NT$1,003

99.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,325

$4.74 NT$154

114.35%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,054

$2.95 NT$96.3

9.15%

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

$2.06 Ft 675

$1.02 NT$33.23

101.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 601

$0.64 NT$20.76

185.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,180

$1.46 NT$47.49

146.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,199

$2.43 NT$79.3

50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 390

$3.22 NT$105

-63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 612

$1.87 NT$60.8

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 775

$2.54 NT$82.9

-6.69%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,296

$2.55 NT$83.3

55.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,655

$15.44 NT$504

-27.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,212

$7.67 NT$250

-11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,698

$14.97 NT$488

-4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 592

$4.32 NT$141

-58.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 690

$1.92 NT$62.7

9.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 764

$2.53 NT$82.5

-7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,245

$3.02 NT$98.6

25.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 325

$1.22 NT$39.81

-18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 322

$1.86 NT$60.8

-47.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 508

$2.26 NT$73.8

-31.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 228

$0.84 NT$27.39

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,551

$3.72 NT$121

109.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,981

$15.66 NT$511

-61.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 418

$1.54 NT$50.2

-16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 667

$2.16 NT$70.6

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 507

$0.48 NT$15.66

222.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,932

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,080

$2.63 NT$85.7

25.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 430

$0.80 NT$26.00

63.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,631

$6.25 NT$204

224.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 596

$0.99 NT$32.36

83.84%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.4M

$34.7K NT$1.1M

-17.33%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.8M

$22.2K NT$722.4K

49.31%

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

$172 Ft 56.4K

$108 NT$3,527

59.19%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,841

$14.35 NT$468

66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,631

$25.28 NT$824

-7.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,191

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,332

$9.96 NT$325

2.21%

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

$600 Ft 196.5K

$328 NT$10.7K

83.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$13.6K NT$443.2K

23.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.4K

$69.5 NT$2,267

42.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$30.29 NT$988

42.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.9K

$80.8 NT$2,635

39.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.4K

$100 NT$3,268

16.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 273.7K

$243 NT$7,923

244.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 209.4K

$153 NT$5,000

317.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 523.2K

$713 NT$23.2K

124.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 394.5K

$372 NT$12.1K

223.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 547.2K

$1,946 NT$63.4K

-14.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.27

184.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 76% $486

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 27.4% $71

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 52.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 32.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 24.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 77.6% $69

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 80.3% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $243 in Pingtung city. 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 16% higher in Pingtung city, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $31 in Pingtung city. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $329 in Pingtung city – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

10:04 10:04 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

201,644

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Pingtung city 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Pingtung city

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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,334 in Pingtung city. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pingtung city, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $31 in Pingtung city. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pingtung city, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Pingtung city it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pingtung city – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.