Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Taipei

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Taipei

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,395 in Taipei, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Taipei $1,395

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,227 in Taipei, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Taipei $2,227

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,059 in Taipei, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Taipei $3,059

Budapest costs about 16% more than Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Taipei sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Taipei by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$4.76 NT$152

193.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$48.18 NT$1,538

25.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$5.75 NT$184

73.22%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.49 NT$112

-3.15%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$0.88 NT$28.04

142.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.65 NT$20.62

187.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.86 NT$91.4

31.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.67 NT$117

-2.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$3.09 NT$98.6

-63.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$2.05 NT$65.5

-10.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.06 NT$97.6

-21.90%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.70 NT$86.1

41.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$19.66 NT$628

-42.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$9.83 NT$314

-31.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$21.11 NT$674

-30.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$5.08 NT$162

-63.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$3.39 NT$108

-40.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$3.00 NT$95.9

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$4.56 NT$146

-17.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$2.72 NT$86.8

-64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$2.28 NT$72.9

-54.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.68 NT$53.7

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$1.15 NT$36.82

-42.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$4.05 NT$129

96.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$14.32 NT$457

-58.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.70 NT$54.2

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.29 NT$73.0

-9.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$0.61 NT$19.47

145.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$38.47 NT$1,228

-28.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$2.73 NT$87.0

20.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.75 NT$24.03

73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$9.59 NT$306

106.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.02 NT$32.57

77.45%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-13.96%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.2K NT$772.3K

41.00%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$86.4 NT$2,757

96.76%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$17.12 NT$547

40.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$27.06 NT$864

-13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$40.77 NT$1,302

62.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$16.04 NT$512

19.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$9.63 NT$307

-1.14%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$656 NT$20.9K

-18.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$16.4K NT$524.3K

1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$62.7 NT$2,002

61.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$39.50 NT$1,261

8.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$83.9 NT$2,678

34.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$106 NT$3,393

11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$1,016 NT$32.4K

-20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$479 NT$15.3K

31.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,568 NT$50.1K

-1.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$952 NT$30.4K

22.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$12.2K NT$389.4K

-53.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$7,207 NT$230.1K

-44.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,772 NT$56.6K

-8.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

2.4

167.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Taipei

$479 34.8% 23.9% $151

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Taipei

$401 29.2% 55.8% $144

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Taipei

$125 9.1% 44.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Taipei

$131 9.5% 39.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Taipei

$132 9.6% 22.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 29.6% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 9.1% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,016 in Taipei. 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 9% higher in Taipei, 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $48.00 in Taipei. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $401 in Taipei – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

15:19 3:19 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Taipei 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,092 in Taipei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Taipei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $656 in Taipei. 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 Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.