Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and South Korea
For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,543 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.
-
Budapest Living Index79Cost of Living Index in BudapestLearn more -
South Korea Living Index76Cost of Living Index in South KoreaLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Budapest is 11.9% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 5.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Budapest is 8.2% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 1.2% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$7.67 ₩10.3K
82.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$45.23 ₩60.6K
33.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$6.43 ₩8,617
54.90%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$3.92 ₩5,254
-13.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.64 ₩2,194
29.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$0.83 ₩1,115
125.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$3.63 ₩4,863
3.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$4.55 ₩6,098
-21.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$2.09 ₩2,804
-45.93%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$3.02 ₩4,051
-39.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$3.38 ₩4,534
-29.29%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$3.22 ₩4,311
18.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$13.53 ₩18.1K
-16.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$8.81 ₩11.8K
-23.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$26.06 ₩34.9K
-43.63%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$8.59 ₩11.5K
-78.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$3.38 ₩4,535
-40.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$6.23 ₩8,345
-62.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$6.09 ₩8,166
-38.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$3.97 ₩5,319
-75.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$2.72 ₩3,645
-62.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$2.60 ₩3,484
-40.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$1.20 ₩1,608
-45.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$3.38 ₩4,531
135.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$15.90 ₩21.3K
-62.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$2.02 ₩2,706
-35.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$2.89 ₩3,866
-28.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$1.14 ₩1,529
31.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$46.85 ₩62.8K
-41.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$3.43 ₩4,599
-3.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$0.64 ₩860
103.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$9.10 ₩12.2K
117.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$1.38 ₩1,852
31.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$29.8K ₩39.9M
-1.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$29.9K ₩40.1M
14.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$206 ₩275.7K
-17.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$39.21 ₩52.5K
-38.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$23.22 ₩31.1K
0.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$52.8 ₩70.7K
25.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$16.59 ₩22.2K
15.61%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$10.99 ₩14.7K
-13.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$906 ₩1.2M
-40.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$23.3K ₩31.2M
-28.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$56.7 ₩76.0K
78.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$43.14 ₩57.8K
-0.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$79.5 ₩106.6K
41.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$96.1 ₩128.8K
23.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$593 ₩794.3K
35.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$423 ₩566.8K
48.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$1,531 ₩2.1M
1.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$922 ₩1.2M
26.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$16.5K ₩22.1M
-65.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$8,341 ₩11.2M
-52.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
South Korea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$2,293 ₩3.1M
-29.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
4.23
52.01%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026
Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $629 38.7%
South Korea $423 27.1% 32.8% $206
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $258 15.8%
South Korea $449 28.7% 74.2% $191
Eating Out
Budapest $224 13.8%
South Korea $165 10.6% 26.5% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $217 13.4%
South Korea $268 17.2% 23.4% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $169 10.4%
South Korea $124 7.9% 26.7% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $85 5.2%
South Korea $75 4.8% 12.3% $11
Getting Around
Budapest $43 2.7%
South Korea $58 3.7% 33.7% $15
Accommodation & Living
Budapest $1.2K 34.1%
South Korea $922 27.2% 21% $245
Groceries & Markets
Budapest $607 17.7%
South Korea $1.1K 31% 73.5% $447
Eating Out
Budapest $753 22%
South Korea $552 16.3% 26.6% $200
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest $241 7.1%
South Korea $307 9.1% 27.4% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest $376 11%
South Korea $276 8.1% 26.7% $100
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest $190 5.5%
South Korea $166 4.9% 12.5% $24
Getting Around
Budapest $90 2.6%
South Korea $118 3.5% 31.7% $29
Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇰🇷 South Korea
Weather
Population
1,686,222 Capital
51,466,201
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Budapest South Korea 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
- Budapest
- South Korea
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 other spots: cost of living compared
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Krakow
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,811
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Prague
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$2,097
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Debrecen
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,358
/mo nomad
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