Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Serdang

For one person, living is cheaper in Serdang: $978 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Serdang
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Serdang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Serdang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Serdang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $978 in Serdang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Serdang $978

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,422 in Serdang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Serdang $1,422

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,865 in Serdang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Serdang $1,865

Budapest costs about 65% more than Serdang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Serdang is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.52 MYR 10.29

453.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.01 MYR 69.4

259.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.58 MYR 14.62

184.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.01 MYR 8.20

62.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.84 MYR 3.44

154.76%

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 18.06

-16.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$6.02 MYR 24.56

-37.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-46.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.10 MYR 4.51

62.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.95 MYR 7.95

27.69%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.49 MYR 10.14

56.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.89 MYR 56.7

-20.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.47 MYR 18.24

48.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.92 MYR 40.47

48.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.44 MYR 14.02

-46.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.76 MYR 7.18

16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.27 MYR 9.26

4.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.60 MYR 6.52

143.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.27 MYR 5.19

-22.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.35 MYR 5.51

-25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.12 MYR 4.57

41.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.72 MYR 2.93

-6.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.53 MYR 18.47

75.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$19.72 MYR 80.4

-68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$3.50 MYR 14.29

-63.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.91 MYR 20.01

-58.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.69 MYR 2.82

120.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$13.93 MYR 56.8

101.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.19 MYR 4.85

178.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.25 MYR 5.09

9.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.96 MYR 20.23

299.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.88 MYR 3.61

106.82%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$41.5K MYR 169.4K

-28.25%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.4K MYR 140.2K

-1.65%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$61.8 MYR 252

176.76%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.90 MYR 36.30

164.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$26.69 MYR 109

-12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$42.43 MYR 173

59.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.33 MYR 29.89

157.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.12 MYR 20.88

81.64%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$298 MYR 1,215

79.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$13.0K MYR 53.1K

28.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$71.1 MYR 290

40.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$41.18 MYR 168

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$85.3 MYR 348

29.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$97.3 MYR 397

22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$394 MYR 1,607

110.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$302 MYR 1,231

106.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$685 MYR 2,794

132.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$430 MYR 1,753

172.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,783 MYR 7,272

227.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,004 MYR 4,096

287.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$964 MYR 3,932

71.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.18

54.31%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Serdang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Serdang

$302 30.9% 51.5% $320

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Serdang

$275 28.1% 6.6% $17

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Serdang

$94 9.7% 57.6% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Serdang

$97 10% 55.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Serdang

$133 13.6% 20.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Serdang

$53 5.4% 38.8% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Serdang

$24 2.5% 45.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $394 in Serdang. 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 71% 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 $17.00 in Serdang. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $275 in Serdang – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Serdang

🕒 Local time

01:20 1:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

130,252

💱 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 Serdang 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Serdang

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 Serdang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 65%, 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 $1,467 in Serdang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 101% less in Serdang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $298 in Serdang. 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 Serdang, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Serdang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Serdang – 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 Serdang. 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.