Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,068 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
Learn more

Tainan Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tainan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,068 in Tainan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Tainan $1,068

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,837 in Tainan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Tainan $1,837

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,606 in Tainan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Tainan $2,606

Budapest costs about 52% more than Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Tainan is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.74 NT$121

272.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$24.62 NT$799

148.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.79 NT$155

112.73%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.27 NT$106

-0.31%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.95 NT$30.66

125.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.63 NT$20.54

182.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.86 NT$92.6

29.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.49 NT$113

8.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$3.09 NT$100

-62.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.77 NT$57.5

1.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.15 NT$102

-20.95%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.75 NT$89.3

41.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$19.50 NT$632

-43.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.88 NT$320

-33.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$21.04 NT$682

-30.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.96 NT$161

-63.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.86 NT$92.7

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.00 NT$97.4

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.48 NT$145

-12.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.66 NT$86.4

-62.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.27 NT$73.6

-55.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.71 NT$55.3

-7.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.15 NT$37.31

-41.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.81 NT$124

108.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$13.94 NT$452

-55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.65 NT$53.4

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.17 NT$70.3

-6.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.61 NT$19.68

149.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$33.89 NT$1,099

-17.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.53 NT$82.2

30.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.77 NT$24.92

77.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.74 NT$186

245.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.01 NT$32.90

80.20%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-9.16%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.1K NT$780.6K

40.47%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$87.2 NT$2,828

96.22%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.51 NT$568

34.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$21.30 NT$691

9.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$45.65 NT$1,480

47.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.60 NT$311

-3.12%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$433 NT$14.1K

23.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,413 NT$175.5K

209.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$63.2 NT$2,050

57.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$39.20 NT$1,271

10.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$83.7 NT$2,716

31.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$103 NT$3,353

15.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$297 NT$9,624

179.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$200 NT$6,470

211.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$845 NT$27.4K

88.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$696 NT$22.6K

68.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,123 NT$133.7K

41.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,022 NT$98.0K

28.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,376 NT$44.6K

19.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.4

168.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Tainan

$200 18.7% 67.9% $422

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Tainan

$393 36.9% 52.5% $135

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Tainan

$111 10.4% 50.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Tainan

$126 11.8% 42.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Tainan

$130 12.2% 22.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Tainan

$65 6.1% 24.7% $21

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Tainan

$43 4% 3.5% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $297 in Tainan. 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 20% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $25.00 in Tainan. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $393 in Tainan – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,886,033

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Tainan 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Tainan

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 52%, 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 $1,602 in Tainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 21% less in Tainan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $433 in Tainan. 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 Tainan, where all-in costs run around $1,068, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tainan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tainan – 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 Tainan. 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.