Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shanghai

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Shanghai $2,789

Budapest costs about 30% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$4.55 ¥30.45

207.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$29.52 ¥198

104.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$5.10 ¥34.13

95.29%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.42 ¥22.92

-1.17%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.61 ¥4.12

249.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.36 ¥2.41

419.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$1.21 ¥8.08

209.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$2.29 ¥15.33

55.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.86 ¥12.48

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.01 ¥13.47

-8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.02 ¥6.84

134.31%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$1.72 ¥11.48

122.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$17.19 ¥115

-34.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$3.35 ¥22.43

101.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$12.80 ¥85.7

14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.17 ¥14.54

-15.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.74 ¥11.67

15.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.94 ¥12.99

21.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$1.68 ¥11.25

124.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$0.77 ¥5.18

24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$0.93 ¥6.22

10.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.62 ¥4.17

151.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.58 ¥3.88

13.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.83 ¥25.64

107.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$10.94 ¥73.2

-45.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$0.84 ¥5.60

54.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$1.60 ¥10.73

30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.59 ¥3.92

154.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$30.27 ¥203

-8.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.06 ¥13.79

60.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.47 ¥3.13

176.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$8.80 ¥58.9

124.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.27 ¥8.53

42.52%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

49.66%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

83.59%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$57.2 ¥383

196.94%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$8.06 ¥53.9

197.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$10.52 ¥70.4

122.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$64.6 ¥433

2.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$17.63 ¥118

8.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$8.84 ¥59.1

7.69%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-62.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-40.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$54.7 ¥366

85.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$36.43 ¥244

18.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$75.4 ¥504

49.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$104 ¥696

14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$1,039 ¥6,956

-22.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$589 ¥3,940

6.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-5.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-58.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-35.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

-5.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.36

91.37%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 6.5% $41

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Shanghai

$237 19% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 52.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 65.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 28% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 3.5% $3

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Shanghai

$37 3% 14.8% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,039 in Shanghai. 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 6% higher in Shanghai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Shanghai 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 10% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $1,437 in Shanghai. 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 Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. 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.