Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Surin
Learn more

Surin Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Surin

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $869 in Surin, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Surin $869

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,444 in Surin, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Surin $1,444

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,018 in Surin, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Surin $2,018

Budapest costs about 89% more than Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Surin is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$3.03 ฿101

363.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$24.70 ฿826

146.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.23 ฿242

43.43%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.74 ฿58.3

98.85%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.61 ฿20.30

239.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.33 ฿10.89

436.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.20 ฿73.5

67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.42 ฿114

11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.57 ฿52.4

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.31 ฿43.79

41.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.47 ฿48.98

63.27%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.90 ฿63.5

110.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$17.41 ฿582

-34.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$2.48 ฿83.0

177.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$8.89 ฿297

62.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.57 ฿86.0

-26.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.02 ฿34.23

109.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.48 ฿82.9

-7.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.05 ฿68.5

97.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.44 ฿48.20

-29.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.95 ฿31.77

4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.94 ฿31.37

68.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.44 ฿14.59

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$4.27 ฿143

88.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$16.36 ฿547

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.57 ฿52.4

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.01 ฿100

-31.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.92 ฿30.79

72.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.37 ฿45.65

150.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.01 ฿33.73

31.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$6.04 ฿202

238.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.35 ฿45.06

42.96%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.7K ฿758.4K

28.40%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$27.1K ฿904.4K

28.33%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$77.8 ฿2,601

124.35%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$11.53 ฿385

104.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$18.68 ฿624

26.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.58 ฿1,390

65.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$11.45 ฿383

68.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.51 ฿218

58.37%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$628 ฿21.0K

-14.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.1K ฿405.0K

38.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$53.1 ฿1,773

88.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$27.95 ฿934

54.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$73.3 ฿2,451

52.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$68.0 ฿2,274

74.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$440 ฿14.7K

89.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$273 ฿9,126

130.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,185 ฿39.6K

33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$714 ฿23.9K

67.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,730 ฿57.8K

230.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,518 ฿50.7K

160.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Surin

$273 31.4% 56.6% $356

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Surin

$235 27% 10.4% $27

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Surin

$88 10.2% 60.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Surin

$108 12.4% 51.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Surin

$100 11.5% 40.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Surin

$55 6.3% 39% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Surin

$10 * 1.2% 77% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $440 in Surin. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $25.00 in Surin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $235 – making Surin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇭 Surin

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

5 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

40,104

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Surin 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,303 in Surin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $25.00 in Surin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surin – 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 Surin. 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.