Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Suwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwon: $1,363 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
Learn more

Suwon Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Suwon

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,363 in Suwon, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Suwon $1,363

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,148 in Suwon, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Suwon $2,148

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,933 in Suwon, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Suwon $2,933

Budapest costs about 20% more than Suwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Suwon sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Suwon by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.96 ₩7,921

135.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$30.15 ₩40.1K

102.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.57 ₩10.1K

36.99%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.39 ₩4,512

2.06%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.60 ₩2,126

29.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.63 ₩836

180.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.86 ₩5,129

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$4.77 ₩6,336

-20.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$2.65 ₩3,528

-56.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$2.67 ₩3,546

-30.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$3.40 ₩4,517

-29.41%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.15 ₩4,184

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$11.04 ₩14.7K

3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$11.50 ₩15.3K

-40.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$11.06 ₩14.7K

31.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$6.28 ₩8,355

-70.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.95 ₩3,916

-27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$5.29 ₩7,030

-56.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$4.44 ₩5,910

-9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$3.45 ₩4,590

-70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.64 ₩3,516

-62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$4.86 ₩6,458

-67.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.30 ₩1,726

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.78 ₩5,029

112.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$13.86 ₩18.4K

-55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.53 ₩3,369

-50.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.71 ₩4,939

-44.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.21 ₩1,603

31.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$47.15 ₩62.7K

-41.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.81 ₩3,739

22.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.66 ₩882

101.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$8.80 ₩11.7K

132.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.40 ₩1,856

37.86%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$28.4K ₩37.7M

2.71%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$25.5K ₩33.9M

36.35%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$185 ₩246.1K

-5.69%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$17.99 ₩23.9K

31.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$17.72 ₩23.6K

33.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$44.21 ₩58.8K

55.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$11.73 ₩15.6K

64.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.21 ₩14.9K

-8.03%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$696 ₩925.0K

-23.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.0K ₩24.0M

-6.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$36.84 ₩49.0K

171.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$106 ₩140.4K

-59.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$73.8 ₩98.1K

51.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$59.2 ₩78.7K

101.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$433 ₩575.7K

92.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$351 ₩466.4K

79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,164 ₩1.5M

36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$813 ₩1.1M

47.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$12.7K ₩16.8M

-54.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$7,005 ₩9.3M

-43.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$2,576 ₩3.4M

-33.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.5

-0.77%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Suwon: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Suwon

$351 25.7% 44.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Suwon

$394 28.9% 50.6% $132

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Suwon

$149 10.9% 34.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Suwon

$221 16.2% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Suwon

$124 9.1% 26.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Suwon

$67 4.9% 25.5% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Suwon

$58 4.3% 32.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $433 in Suwon. 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 50% higher in Suwon, 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 $30.00 in Suwon. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $394 in Suwon – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇰🇷 Suwon

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

06:43 6:43 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,203,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Suwon 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Suwon

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 Suwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $2,045 in Suwon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 71% less in Suwon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $696 in Suwon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Suwon, where all-in costs run around $1,363, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Suwon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Suwon – 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 Suwon. 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.