Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Skudai

For one person, living is cheaper in Skudai: $900 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Skudai
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Skudai Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Skudai

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$900

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Skudai

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $900 in Skudai, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Skudai $900

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $1,370 in Skudai, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Skudai $1,370

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,840 in Skudai, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Skudai $1,840

Budapest costs about 82% more than Skudai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Skudai is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,547

$3.63 MYR 14.84

280.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

$18.25 MYR 74.6

236.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,345

$4.90 MYR 20.05

107.35%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,061

$2.87 MYR 11.73

12.20%

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

$2.06 Ft 679

$0.83 MYR 3.40

148.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 604

$0.45 MYR 1.83

306.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,187

$3.33 MYR 13.62

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,206

$5.62 MYR 22.97

-34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.74 MYR 7.11

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 616

$1.02 MYR 4.18

83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 779

$1.48 MYR 6.06

60.14%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,304

$1.66 MYR 6.78

138.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,676

$9.64 MYR 39.43

15.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,225

$3.20 MYR 13.09

111.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,725

$9.61 MYR 39.28

49.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 595

$3.42 MYR 13.98

-47.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 694

$1.70 MYR 6.94

24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 769

$2.61 MYR 10.68

-10.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,253

$1.64 MYR 6.69

131.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.41 MYR 5.75

-29.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.73 MYR 7.08

-43.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.37 MYR 5.59

13.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 229

$0.51 MYR 2.09

37.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,566

$4.28 MYR 17.49

82.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,993

$13.83 MYR 56.5

-56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$2.74 MYR 11.19

-53.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 671

$2.99 MYR 12.22

-31.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 510

$0.83 MYR 3.40

86.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,985

$10.95 MYR 44.78

149.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,086

$1.01 MYR 4.13

226.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 432

$0.36 MYR 1.46

263.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,671

$9.03 MYR 36.92

124.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 599

$0.86 MYR 3.51

111.63%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$44.3K MYR 181.0K

-35.12%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$36.0K MYR 147.2K

-8.13%

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

$172 Ft 56.7K

$48.79 MYR 199

252.90%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,888

$8.16 MYR 33.38

193.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,677

$26.88 MYR 110

-13.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$36.95 MYR 151

85.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,227

$7.55 MYR 30.86

150.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,352

$4.93 MYR 20.17

106.49%

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

$600 Ft 197.7K

$235 MYR 962

155.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$4,393 MYR 18.0K

282.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$50.5 MYR 206

96.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

$16.62 MYR 68.0

160.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$77.2 MYR 316

46.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$85.4 MYR 349

37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.3K

$357 MYR 1,461

133.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.7K

$311 MYR 1,270

105.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.3K

$650 MYR 2,659

145.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 396.8K

$565 MYR 2,310

113.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$1,956 MYR 7,997

187.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$1,161 MYR 4,746

227.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.06

58.87%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Skudai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Skudai

$311 34.5% 51.4% $329

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Skudai

$226 25.2% 12.3% $32

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Skudai

$111 12.4% 49.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Skudai

$84 9.3% 61.8% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Skudai

$103 11.5% 38.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Skudai

$47 5.2% 47.4% $42

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Skudai

$17 1.9% 60.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $357 in Skudai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $18 in Skudai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $226 – making Skudai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇾 Skudai

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

02:14 2:14 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

159,733

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Skudai 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Skudai

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 Skudai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 82%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $1,349 in Skudai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skudai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $357 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Skudai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $235 in Skudai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Skudai, where all-in costs run around $900, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Skudai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Skudai – 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.

For expats, Skudai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 82% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.