Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
Learn more

Samut Prakan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Samut Prakan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $886 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Samut Prakan $886

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,389 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Samut Prakan $1,389

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,893 in Samut Prakan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Samut Prakan $1,893

Budapest costs about 83% more than Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Samut Prakan is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.25 ฿109

328.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$15.10 ฿505

305.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.61 ฿254

33.90%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.43 ฿47.70

127.97%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.51 ฿17.05

319.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.26 ฿8.75

584.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.03 ฿67.8

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.02 ฿101

24.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.48 ฿49.36

-22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.96 ฿32.07

86.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.87 ฿29.12

186.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.74 ฿58.2

124.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.31 ฿412

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.47 ฿82.4

168.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.24 ฿342

43.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.79 ฿59.9

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.71 ฿23.72

188.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.31 ฿43.92

80.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.17 ฿39.20

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.46 ฿48.70

-32.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.77 ฿25.72

29.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.82 ฿27.36

92.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.45 ฿14.90

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.56 ฿152

74.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.98 ฿300

-30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.03 ฿34.32

23.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.87 ฿62.6

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.53 ฿17.76

186.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.69 ฿56.4

95.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.54 ฿51.5

-11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.76 ฿159

316.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.11 ฿37.00

63.96%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$11.9K ฿396.7K

151.04%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.5K ฿785.8K

43.79%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$83.1 ฿2,778

105.87%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.05 ฿302

159.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$16.08 ฿537

44.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$47.11 ฿1,574

43.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.07 ฿470

34.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.55 ฿219

41.98%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$146 ฿4,876

265.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,031 ฿201.6K

177.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$14.97 ฿500

565.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.13 ฿1,208

20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$72.1 ฿2,411

52.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$118 ฿3,927

1.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$469 ฿15.7K

76.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$331 ฿11.1K

87.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,375 ฿46.0K

15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$720 ฿24.1K

62.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,909 ฿63.8K

205.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,597 ฿53.4K

143.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$674 ฿22.5K

144.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

115.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Samut Prakan

$331 37.4% 46.7% $290

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Samut Prakan

$181 20.4% 30% $77

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Samut Prakan

$85 9.6% 61.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2% 50.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Samut Prakan

$108 12.2% 35.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Samut Prakan

$60 6.8% 30.1% $26

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 74% $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 $469 in Samut Prakan. 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 145% 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $181 – making Samut Prakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

04:38 4:38 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

50,843

💱 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 Samut Prakan 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 83%, 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 $1,328 in Samut Prakan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samut Prakan, 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samut Prakan, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Samut Prakan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samut Prakan – 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 Samut Prakan. 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.