Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
Learn more

Semarang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Semarang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $599 in Semarang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Semarang $599

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $945 in Semarang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Semarang $945

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,292 in Semarang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Semarang $1,292

Budapest costs about 170% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Semarang is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

902.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

475.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

231.92%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

154.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.48 Rp 8,633

345.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.20 Rp 3,641

790.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

129.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

11.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

101.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

219.23%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

214.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

178.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

171.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

95.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

28.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

161.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

-27.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

-49.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

75.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.42 Rp 7,529

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

306.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

-74.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.21 Rp 3,778

623.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

97.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.47 Rp 8,539

604.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.27 Rp 4,808

407.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

629.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

121.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

18.17%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

4.68%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

99.19%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

790.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

20.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

226.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

303.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

324.66%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

943.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

712.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

180.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

93.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

209.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$231 Rp 4.1M

260.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$138 Rp 2.5M

352.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$498 Rp 9.0M

220.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$378 Rp 6.8M

209.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

381.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$825 Rp 14.9M

371.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$191 Rp 3.4M

765.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.82

-26.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Semarang

$138 23% 77.9% $484

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Semarang

$186 31% 28% $72

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Semarang

$53 8.9% 76.1% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Semarang

$108 18% 50.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Semarang

$72 12.1% 56.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 70.9% $61

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 61.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $231 in Semarang. 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 765% 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 $11.00 in Semarang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $186 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

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

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Semarang 10,680 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 170%, 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 $898 in Semarang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Semarang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $51.1 in Semarang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Semarang – 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 Semarang. 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.