Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shah Alam

For one person, living is cheaper in Shah Alam: $933 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Shah Alam
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Shah Alam Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Shah Alam

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$933

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shah Alam

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $933 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Shah Alam $933

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,429 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Shah Alam $1,429

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,925 in Shah Alam, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Shah Alam $1,925

Budapest costs about 74% more than Shah Alam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Shah Alam is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.72 MYR 15.19

274.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.34 MYR 78.9

216.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.21 MYR 17.16

142.04%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.87 MYR 11.70

13.59%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.78 MYR 3.17

174.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.39 MYR 1.58

356.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.40 MYR 13.85

9.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.33 MYR 17.65

-12.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.79 MYR 7.29

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.06 MYR 4.31

68.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.47 MYR 6.01

69.39%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.17 MYR 8.85

79.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.59 MYR 55.4

-18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.36 MYR 17.78

51.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.51 MYR 38.79

54.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.53 MYR 14.38

-48.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.62 MYR 6.61

26.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.62 MYR 10.67

-9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.73 MYR 7.05

125.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.25 MYR 5.08

-20.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.04 MYR 8.33

-50.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.43 MYR 5.82

10.49%

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

$4.33 MYR 17.66

83.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.85 MYR 76.9

-67.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.76 MYR 11.26

-53.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$4.64 MYR 18.94

-56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.75 MYR 3.05

102.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$16.11 MYR 65.7

73.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.20 MYR 4.90

175.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.41 MYR 1.67

234.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.48 MYR 30.52

165.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.81 MYR 3.32

124.69%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$42.1K MYR 171.7K

-29.19%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$34.9K MYR 142.5K

-3.19%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$36.85 MYR 150

364.37%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.64 MYR 39.32

143.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$28.94 MYR 118

-19.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$40.19 MYR 164

68.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$4.88 MYR 19.92

287.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.58 MYR 26.86

41.34%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$199 MYR 812

167.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,548 MYR 18.6K

268.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$57.6 MYR 235

73.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.52 MYR 161

10.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$67.8 MYR 277

62.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.0 MYR 285

70.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$340 MYR 1,386

144.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$308 MYR 1,255

102.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$564 MYR 2,301

182.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$560 MYR 2,283

109.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,502 MYR 6,128

288.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,165 MYR 4,753

233.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,264 MYR 5,156

30.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.04

59.65%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shah Alam: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Shah Alam

$308 33% 50.5% $314

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Shah Alam

$261 28% 1.3% $3.3

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Shah Alam

$107 11.5% 52% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Shah Alam

$75 8.1% 65.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Shah Alam

$106 11.3% 36.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Shah Alam

$53 5.7% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Shah Alam

$22 2.4% 49.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $340 in Shah Alam. 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 31% 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 Shah Alam. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $261 in Shah Alam – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Shah Alam

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

15:24 3:24 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

812,327

💱 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 Shah Alam 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Shah Alam

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 Shah Alam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 74%, 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 $1,399 in Shah Alam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 74% less in Shah Alam. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $199 in Shah Alam. 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 Shah Alam, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Shah Alam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shah Alam – 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 Shah Alam. 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.