Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Samarinda

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $647 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Samarinda
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Samarinda

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $647 in Samarinda, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Samarinda $647

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,021 in Samarinda, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Samarinda $1,021

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,395 in Samarinda, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Samarinda $1,395

Budapest costs about 150% more than Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Samarinda is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$1.70 Rp 30.6K
720.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$13.69 Rp 246.4K
347.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$3.35 Rp 60.2K
204.18%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$1.53 Rp 27.5K
113.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$0.44 Rp 7,903
386.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.25 Rp 4,499
612.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$2.27 Rp 40.9K
63.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$3.45 Rp 62.1K
9.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.07 Rp 19.2K
7.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$0.83 Rp 14.9K
115.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$0.71 Rp 12.8K
250.70%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$1.40 Rp 25.3K
178.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$7.21 Rp 129.9K
53.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$3.61 Rp 65.0K
83.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$10.04 Rp 180.7K
46.31%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$5.14 Rp 92.4K
-64.40%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$1.11 Rp 20.0K
84.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$1.09 Rp 19.5K
117.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$1.47 Rp 26.5K
165.31%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$1.32 Rp 23.8K
-25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$1.76 Rp 31.7K
-43.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$0.75 Rp 13.6K
110.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.51 Rp 9,097
31.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$2.08 Rp 37.4K
282.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$21.04 Rp 378.7K
-70.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$1.60 Rp 28.8K
-20.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$2.52 Rp 45.4K
-19.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$0.30 Rp 5,403
406.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$0.50 Rp 8,935
562.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$0.34 Rp 6,183
302.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$2.67 Rp 48.0K
642.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$0.81 Rp 14.6K
124.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$26.8K Rp 482.4M
11.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$31.1K Rp 559.1M
8.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$67.2 Rp 1.2M
154.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$4.75 Rp 85.5K
394.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$18.78 Rp 338.0K
24.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$19.72 Rp 354.9K
242.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
$8.94 Rp 160.9K
111.30%
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$2.75 Rp 49.4K
238.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$89.9 Rp 1.6M
493.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$8,095 Rp 145.7M
107.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$47.77 Rp 859.9K
108.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$32.33 Rp 582.0K
34.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$76.9 Rp 1.4M
43.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$74.1 Rp 1.3M
60.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$195 Rp 3.5M
324.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$148 Rp 2.7M
321.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$491 Rp 8.8M
224.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$338 Rp 6.1M
246.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$1,107 Rp 19.9M
426.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$730 Rp 13.1M
432.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Samarinda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
$336 Rp 6.0M
391.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
9.46
-31.82%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Samarinda
$148 76.3% $474
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Samarinda
$213 17.4% $45
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Samarinda
$63 71.7% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Samarinda
$91 58.3% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Samarinda
$104 37.9% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Samarinda
$25 70.7% $61
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Samarinda
$3.4 * 92.3% $41

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 $195 in Samarinda. 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 391% 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 $14.00 in Samarinda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $213 – making Samarinda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇮🇩 Samarinda
🕒 Local time
06:41 6:41 AM
12:41 12:41 PM
6 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
726,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Samarinda 10,660 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Samarinda cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $970 in Samarinda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Samarinda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Budapest or in Samarinda?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $14.00 in Samarinda. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Budapest and in Samarinda?
Groceries cost about 21% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Samarinda?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samarinda, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Samarinda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Samarinda more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Samarinda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Samarinda?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Samarinda. 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.

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