Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $707 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
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Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

Budapest costs about 129% more than Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$3.83 ¥25.64

263.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$26.02 ¥174

135.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$4.57 ¥30.58

122.98%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.17 ¥21.21

2.84%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.48 ¥3.23

345.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.31 ¥2.04

474.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$0.93 ¥6.22

298.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.47 ¥9.80

156.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.79 ¥11.98

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.18 ¥7.91

51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$0.87 ¥5.85

186.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$2.07 ¥13.85

88.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$19.53 ¥131

-43.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$3.69 ¥24.70

79.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$6.16 ¥41.17

138.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.33 ¥15.56

-21.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.38 ¥9.25

48.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.47 ¥9.81

61.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.31 ¥8.74

197.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.87 ¥5.79

13.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.86 ¥5.77

16.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.62 ¥4.18

154.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.54 ¥3.60

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$3.57 ¥23.90

122.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$13.36 ¥89.3

-53.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.75 ¥5.01

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.45 ¥9.68

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.31 ¥2.08

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$19.88 ¥133

40.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.97 ¥13.20

68.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.38 ¥2.55

260.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$7.03 ¥47.00

182.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.21 ¥8.12

50.41%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$18.1K ¥121.2K

64.39%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$17.9K ¥119.7K

88.88%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$18.76 ¥125

812.15%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$10.11 ¥67.6

132.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$11.07 ¥74.0

110.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$60.8 ¥407

11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$16.34 ¥109

15.61%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$7.45 ¥49.80

24.83%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$301 ¥2,015

76.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

-5.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$45.01 ¥301

121.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$41.36 ¥277

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$60.5 ¥404

82.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$58.6 ¥392

102.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$256 ¥1,715

223.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$165 ¥1,105

276.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$631 ¥4,217

152.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$379 ¥2,535

208.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,912 ¥19.5K

100.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,953 ¥13.1K

99.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.5

84.29%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 73.4% $457

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 16.3% $42

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 58.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 81.7% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 44.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 12.1% $10

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 43.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. 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 $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $216 – making Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

17:34 5:34 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

831,113

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 41% less in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $301 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu – 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. 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.