Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tonghua

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonghua: $632 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Tonghua
Learn more

Tonghua Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Tonghua

🇨🇳 China

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tonghua

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $632 in Tonghua, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Tonghua $632

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,034 in Tonghua, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Tonghua $1,034

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,436 in Tonghua, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Tonghua $1,436

Budapest costs about 160% more than Tonghua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Tonghua is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$2.20 ¥14.74

538.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$22.19 ¥148

174.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.09 ¥34.01

103.73%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.25 ¥15.07

53.78%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.47 ¥3.15

340.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.35 ¥2.35

405.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$0.79 ¥5.25

367.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.85 ¥12.38

105.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.68 ¥11.23

-30.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$2.14 ¥14.32

-13.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.07 ¥7.16

124.30%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.06 ¥7.09

276.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$13.11 ¥87.6

-13.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$2.94 ¥19.66

133.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$6.54 ¥43.73

121.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$0.99 ¥6.60

89.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.08 ¥7.21

98.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$0.81 ¥5.41

183.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.08 ¥7.23

274.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.92 ¥6.17

10.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.02 ¥6.85

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.59 ¥3.94

167.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.69 ¥4.60

1.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.64 ¥24.33

120.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$11.75 ¥78.5

-47.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.65 ¥4.33

90.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.10 ¥7.38

87.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.31 ¥2.07

412.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$17.92 ¥120

53.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$0.92 ¥6.14

272.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.38 ¥2.56

250.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$3.07 ¥20.51

566.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.31 ¥8.74

47.33%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$19.3K ¥129.1K

50.94%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$17.0K ¥114.0K

103.72%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$23.25 ¥155

650.92%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$5.85 ¥39.12

303.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$8.98 ¥60.1

162.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.90 ¥280

64.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$15.09 ¥101

27.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.89 ¥39.36

75.04%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$294 ¥1,969

81.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$15.0K ¥100.6K

11.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$22.05 ¥147

352.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$34.01 ¥227

27.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$58.8 ¥393

90.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$69.4 ¥464

71.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$294 ¥1,965

183.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$179 ¥1,199

250.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$639 ¥4,273

148.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$375 ¥2,509

218.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$3,528 ¥23.6K

62.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,980 ¥13.2K

99.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$501 ¥3,350

241.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

61.25%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tonghua: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Tonghua

$179 28.4% 71.5% $450

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Tonghua

$185 29.3% 29.4% $77

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Tonghua

$71 11.2% 68.7% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Tonghua

$38 6% 82.8% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Tonghua

$83 13.1% 50.7% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Tonghua

$54 8.5% 40% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Tonghua

$22 3.5% 50% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $294 in Tonghua. 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 242% 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 $22.00 in Tonghua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $185 – making Tonghua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Tonghua

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

446,917

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Tonghua 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Tonghua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 160%, 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 $947 in Tonghua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 54% less in Tonghua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $294 in Tonghua. 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 Tonghua, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Tonghua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tonghua – 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 Tonghua. 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.