Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Shijiazhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Shijiazhuang: $678 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Shijiazhuang
Learn more

Shijiazhuang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Shijiazhuang

🇨🇳 China

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Shijiazhuang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $678 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Shijiazhuang $678

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,015 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Shijiazhuang $1,015

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,353 in Shijiazhuang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Shijiazhuang $1,353

Budapest costs about 139% more than Shijiazhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Shijiazhuang is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,523

$1.78 ¥11.89

683.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$18.80 ¥126

225.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,306

$5.46 ¥36.47

86.63%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,059

$3.22 ¥21.49

1.24%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.47 ¥3.14

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.27 ¥1.82

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$0.80 ¥5.33

363.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.70 ¥11.34

121.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.32 ¥8.85

-12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.14 ¥7.58

57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 807

$0.70 ¥4.65

255.71%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.23 ¥8.25

217.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,604

$16.09 ¥108

-31.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$2.76 ¥18.44

139.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,767

$9.42 ¥63.0

55.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.63 ¥10.89

12.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.24 ¥8.26

65.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$0.77 ¥5.18

207.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.22 ¥8.14

219.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.59 ¥3.91

67.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.58 ¥3.89

72.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.63 ¥4.23

150.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.46 ¥3.08

45.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,584

$3.81 ¥25.44

108.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,018

$3.68 ¥24.61

69.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.72 ¥4.83

76.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$0.73 ¥4.86

178.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.31 ¥2.10

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,095

$17.78 ¥119

57.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.17 ¥7.80

182.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.35 ¥2.33

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,436

$3.49 ¥23.34

468.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.24 ¥8.29

46.77%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

51.22%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$17.0K ¥113.8K

98.59%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$93.9 ¥627

82.22%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,631

$4.40 ¥29.43

434.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,560

$6.63 ¥44.31

251.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$13.96 ¥93.3

383.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,133

$14.76 ¥98.6

27.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,018

$5.52 ¥36.90

68.48%

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

$533 Ft 173.1K

$377 ¥2,517

41.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,226 ¥34.9K

220.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$49.51 ¥331

101.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$26.52 ¥177

63.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$75.5 ¥504

46.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$54.8 ¥366

117.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$302 ¥2,018

175.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$183 ¥1,221

240.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.2K

$408 ¥2,727

290.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.9K

$276 ¥1,846

323.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,499 ¥16.7K

133.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,670 ¥11.2K

132.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.9K

$801 ¥5,352

106.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.31

94.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shijiazhuang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Shijiazhuang

$183 27% 70.6% $439

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Shijiazhuang

$171 25.2% 33.8% $87

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Shijiazhuang

$80 11.7% 64.3% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Shijiazhuang

$105 15.5% 51.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Shijiazhuang

$93 13.7% 44.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Shijiazhuang

$25 3.7% 71% $61

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Shijiazhuang

$22 3.2% 50.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $302 in Shijiazhuang. 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 106% 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 Shijiazhuang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $171 – making Shijiazhuang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Shijiazhuang

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

11,235,086

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Shijiazhuang 7,360 km ≈ 10 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 Shijiazhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 139%, 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 $1,017 in Shijiazhuang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 58% less in Shijiazhuang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $377 in Shijiazhuang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shijiazhuang, where all-in costs run around $678, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Shijiazhuang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shijiazhuang – 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 Shijiazhuang. 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.