Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Selangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Selangor

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,020 in Selangor, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Selangor $1,020

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,469 in Selangor, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Selangor $1,469

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,918 in Selangor, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Selangor $1,918

Budapest costs about 59% more than Selangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Selangor is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.33 MYR 17.67

221.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.20 MYR 78.3

218.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.04 MYR 16.46

152.23%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.26 MYR 9.23

44.25%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.78 MYR 3.18

174.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.47 MYR 1.93

278.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.43 MYR 18.08

-16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.96 MYR 20.24

-23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.93 MYR 7.87

-40.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.05 MYR 4.30

70.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.53 MYR 6.25

62.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.92 MYR 7.82

103.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$14.26 MYR 58.2

-22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.36 MYR 17.78

51.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.60 MYR 39.16

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.44 MYR 14.04

-46.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.84 MYR 7.52

11.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.34 MYR 9.55

1.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.59 MYR 6.49

145.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.34 MYR 5.45

-26.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.03 MYR 4.21

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.11 MYR 4.52

42.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.54 MYR 2.19

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.50 MYR 18.35

76.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$19.53 MYR 79.7

-68.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.59 MYR 14.64

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.86 MYR 19.81

-58.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.19 MYR 4.87

27.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$12.26 MYR 50.0

128.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.24 MYR 5.06

166.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.25 MYR 5.10

9.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.34 MYR 17.72

356.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.73 MYR 2.99

149.32%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

-28.89%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

-4.08%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$63.4 MYR 258

170.08%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.50 MYR 34.69

176.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$25.97 MYR 106

-10.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$41.09 MYR 168

64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.87 MYR 28.04

174.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.05 MYR 20.59

84.16%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$122 MYR 499

335.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

133.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$70.8 MYR 289

40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$41.40 MYR 169

5.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$77.1 MYR 315

43.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$83.0 MYR 339

43.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$511 MYR 2,083

62.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$346 MYR 1,413

79.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$880 MYR 3,589

81.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$481 MYR 1,963

143.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,578 MYR 6,438

269.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$705 MYR 2,875

451.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,019 MYR 4,157

62.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.96

62.88%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Selangor

$346 34% 44.3% $276

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Selangor

$266 26.1% 3.2% $8.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Selangor

$111 10.9% 50.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Selangor

$98 9.6% 55.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Selangor

$123 12% 26.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Selangor

$51 5% 40.6% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Selangor

$25 2.4% 44.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $511 in Selangor. 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 62% 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 $19.00 in Selangor. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $266 in Selangor – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Selangor

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

281,717

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 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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Between locations

Budapest Selangor 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Selangor

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 Selangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 59%, 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 $1,529 in Selangor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 129% less in Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $122 in Selangor. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Selangor – 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 Selangor. 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.