Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Songdo-dong: $1,444 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,444

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,444 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Songdo-dong $1,444

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,292 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Songdo-dong $2,292

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,140 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Songdo-dong $3,140

Budapest costs about 12% more than Songdo-dong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Songdo-dong sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Songdo-dong by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.87 ₩7,798

137.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$34.90 ₩46.4K

75.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.63 ₩8,816

53.70%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.62 ₩4,815

-9.94%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.53 ₩2,032

39.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.58 ₩777

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.06 ₩4,063

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.56 ₩6,067

-17.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.20 ₩2,925

-47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$3.06 ₩4,066

-41.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.35 ₩3,126

5.96%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.33 ₩4,429

17.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.79 ₩21.0K

-29.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.80 ₩10.4K

-15.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.34 ₩15.1K

29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$7.80 ₩10.4K

-76.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$3.18 ₩4,234

-35.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$7.67 ₩10.2K

-69.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$6.78 ₩9,017

-42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.55 ₩4,720

-72.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.42 ₩3,216

-58.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.04 ₩2,718

-22.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.47 ₩1,960

-54.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.29 ₩4,379

141.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$18.48 ₩24.6K

-66.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.29 ₩3,043

-44.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.64 ₩4,836

-9.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.61 ₩817

124.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.35 ₩1,790

34.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.2K ₩38.8M

2.11%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$35.7K ₩47.4M

-5.22%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$210 ₩278.6K

-18.34%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$43.59 ₩58.0K

-46.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$20.61 ₩27.4K

13.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.32 ₩15.1K

-17.84%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$380 ₩505.4K

40.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$17.9K ₩23.8M

-6.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$64.3 ₩85.5K

54.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$64.7 ₩86.0K

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.5 ₩100.4K

46.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$99.0 ₩131.6K

20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$453 ₩602.6K

37.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,914 ₩2.5M

-16.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,064 ₩1.4M

10.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$3,372 ₩4.5M

-51.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.1

57.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Songdo-dong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Songdo-dong

$453 31.4% 27.1% $169

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Songdo-dong

$408 * 28.3% 58.2% $150

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Songdo-dong

$143 9.9% 35.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Songdo-dong

$274 19% 25.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.5% 18.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Songdo-dong

$23 * 1.6% 73.7% $63

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Songdo-dong

$6.7 * 0.5% 84.8% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 104% higher in Songdo-dong, 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $35.00 in Songdo-dong. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $408 in Songdo-dong – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Songdo-dong 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,166 in Songdo-dong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $35.00 in Songdo-dong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 58% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Songdo-dong, where all-in costs run around $1,444, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Songdo-dong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Songdo-dong – 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 Songdo-dong. 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.