Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $944 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
Learn more

Ratchaburi Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ratchaburi

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $944 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ratchaburi $944

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,573 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ratchaburi $1,573

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,202 in Ratchaburi, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ratchaburi $2,202

Budapest costs about 72% more than Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ratchaburi is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.59 ฿120

288.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$35.96 ฿1,202

70.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.10 ฿304

11.98%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.04 ฿68.1

59.80%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.74 ฿24.78

189.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.30 ฿9.93

493.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.31 ฿77.2

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.66 ฿88.8

41.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.78 ฿59.6

-35.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.44 ฿47.98

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.39 ฿46.38

79.14%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.22 ฿74.1

75.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.32 ฿512

-27.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.56 ฿85.7

158.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.00 ฿334

46.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.48 ฿116

-47.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.21 ฿40.35

69.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.92 ฿64.1

23.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.91 ฿63.8

104.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.20 ฿40.07

-17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.09 ฿36.40

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.22 ฿40.84

29.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.45 ฿14.99

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.30 ฿144

85.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$17.87 ฿597

-65.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.76 ฿58.8

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.90 ฿96.8

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.92 ฿30.82

65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.38 ฿46.08

139.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.12 ฿37.58

22.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.60 ฿120

450.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.51 ฿50.4

20.53%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$46.1K ฿1.5M

-35.40%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.9K ฿899.0K

25.69%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$90.9 ฿3,037

88.31%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.58 ฿387

103.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$19.18 ฿641

21.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$46.61 ฿1,558

44.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.27 ฿477

32.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.49 ฿250

24.17%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$628 ฿21.0K

-15.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.3K ฿477.1K

17.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$50.5 ฿1,686

97.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.47 ฿985

47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$93.9 ฿3,138

17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$74.8 ฿2,501

58.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$441 ฿14.7K

88.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$293 ฿9,777

112.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,387 ฿46.3K

14.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$737 ฿24.6K

58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,969 ฿65.8K

196.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,584 ฿52.9K

145.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.96

8.22%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ratchaburi

$293 31% 53% $329

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ratchaburi

$244 25.8% 5.5% $14

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ratchaburi

$102 10.8% 54.5% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.9% 44.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.9% 33.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 28.5% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ratchaburi

$11 * 1.1% 75.8% $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 $441 in Ratchaburi. 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 Ratchaburi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $244 – making Ratchaburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

38,208

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Ratchaburi 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 72%, 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 $1,415 in Ratchaburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 6% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ratchaburi, where all-in costs run around $944, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ratchaburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ratchaburi – 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 Ratchaburi. 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.