Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Xiangyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiangyang: $712 a month against $1,621 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 Xiangyang
Learn more

Xiangyang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Xiangyang

🇨🇳 China

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Xiangyang

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $712 in Xiangyang, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Xiangyang $712

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,118 in Xiangyang, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Xiangyang $1,118

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,524 in Xiangyang, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Xiangyang $1,524

Budapest costs about 128% more than Xiangyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Xiangyang is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,570

$2.85 ¥19.05

390.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$22.02 ¥147

174.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,255

$4.75 ¥31.76

109.68%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,105

$3.06 ¥20.46

10.46%

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

$2.13 Ft 696

$0.43 ¥2.88

395.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 611

$0.29 ¥1.95

544.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,226

$0.94 ¥6.29

298.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,167

$2.04 ¥13.65

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 370

$1.79 ¥11.93

-36.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 602

$1.60 ¥10.71

15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 780

$0.98 ¥6.53

143.88%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,250

$1.58 ¥10.57

142.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,702

$12.97 ¥86.7

-12.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,201

$3.21 ¥21.44

109.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,800

$10.20 ¥68.2

44.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.89 ¥12.62

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 656

$1.26 ¥8.39

59.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 770

$1.54 ¥10.28

53.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,232

$1.15 ¥7.69

227.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 315

$0.70 ¥4.70

37.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 336

$0.91 ¥6.05

13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 511

$0.60 ¥3.98

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 217

$0.54 ¥3.63

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,602

$3.14 ¥21.01

153.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,963

$10.75 ¥71.9

-44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 423

$0.79 ¥5.29

64.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 679

$1.58 ¥10.59

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 491

$0.29 ¥1.94

417.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

$16.67 ¥111

65.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,079

$1.36 ¥9.08

142.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 426

$0.36 ¥2.38

261.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,465

$6.88 ¥45.95

187.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 593

$1.13 ¥7.57

60.18%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$19.7K ¥131.9K

48.56%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$17.2K ¥114.7K

98.73%

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

$170 Ft 55.5K

$45.52 ¥304

273.33%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,836

$9.77 ¥65.3

145.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,654

$11.57 ¥77.3

102.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$41.64 ¥278

59.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,266

$14.08 ¥94.1

36.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,112

$6.02 ¥40.26

58.14%

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

$537 Ft 175.4K

$333 ¥2,223

61.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$16.9K ¥112.9K

-1.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.1K

$43.48 ¥291

133.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$30.28 ¥202

41.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.8K

$71.4 ¥477

57.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$70.8 ¥473

67.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 263.1K

$281 ¥1,879

186.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.6K

$194 ¥1,293

225.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

$582 ¥3,890

166.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

$358 ¥2,396

225.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,968 ¥19.8K

89.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,043 ¥13.7K

94.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.89

65.30%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Xiangyang: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Xiangyang

$194 27% 69.2% $436

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Xiangyang

$200 27.9% 22.4% $58

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Xiangyang

$85 11.9% 61.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Xiangyang

$67 9.3% 69.2% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Xiangyang

$97 13.5% 42.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Xiangyang

$54 7.5% 37% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Xiangyang

$21 2.9% 51.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $281 in Xiangyang. 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $22.00 in Xiangyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Xiangyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Xiangyang

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

5,500,307

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Xiangyang 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Xiangyang

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 Xiangyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,069 in Xiangyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 66% less in Xiangyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $333 in Xiangyang. 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 Xiangyang, where all-in costs run around $712, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Xiangyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xiangyang – 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 Xiangyang. 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.