Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $618 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
Learn more

Xianyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Xianyang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $618 in Xianyang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Xianyang $618

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $996 in Xianyang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Xianyang $996

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,375 in Xianyang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Xianyang $1,375

Budapest costs about 162% more than Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Xianyang is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.19 ¥14.66

536.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.22 ¥115

255.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.50 ¥30.08

126.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.17 ¥14.48

50.23%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.38 ¥2.55

463.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.29 ¥1.96

513.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.78 ¥5.20

375.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.53 ¥10.25

146.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.47 ¥9.85

-21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.07 ¥7.14

67.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.76 ¥5.11

227.63%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.43 ¥9.58

172.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.58 ¥64.1

15.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$1.83 ¥12.21

261.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.46 ¥49.87

96.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.21 ¥8.10

51.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.04 ¥6.95

97.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.28 ¥8.58

85.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.58 ¥3.90

572.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.46 ¥3.09

115.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.62 ¥4.13

61.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.63 ¥4.19

150.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.59 ¥3.91

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.95 ¥19.73

169.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.44 ¥49.76

-16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.46 ¥3.08

176.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.74 ¥11.64

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.31 ¥2.10

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$15.94 ¥107

75.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.30 ¥8.71

154.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.29 ¥1.93

372.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.54 ¥30.35

336.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 ¥8.34

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

55.97%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$11.8K ¥78.6K

187.46%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$37.14 ¥248

360.74%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$6.13 ¥41.02

283.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.49 ¥70.1

122.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$42.04 ¥281

60.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.65 ¥98.0

28.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.91 ¥39.50

57.36%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$335 ¥2,239

59.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.8K ¥98.7K

13.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$38.41 ¥257

159.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.55 ¥251

15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.0 ¥502

47.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$61.0 ¥408

95.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$302 ¥2,018

175.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$180 ¥1,206

244.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$633 ¥4,235

151.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$383 ¥2,561

205.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,529 ¥23.6K

65.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$732 ¥4,896

431.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$600 ¥4,010

175.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.35

92.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Xianyang

$180 29.2% 71% $442

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Xianyang

$148 23.9% 42.8% $110

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Xianyang

$67 10.8% 70.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 75.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Xianyang

$95 15.4% 43.1% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 37.5% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Xianyang

$20 3.2% 54.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $302 in Xianyang. 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 175% 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 $17.00 in Xianyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $148 – making Xianyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

01:33 1:33 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,324,612

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Budapest Xianyang 7,250 km ≈ 10 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 162%, 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 $926 in Xianyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 76% less in Xianyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $335 in Xianyang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xianyang, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Xianyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xianyang – 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 Xianyang. 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.