Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Xining

For one person, living is cheaper in Xining: $723 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Xining
Learn more

Xining Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Xining

🇨🇳 China

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Xining

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $723 in Xining, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Xining $723

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,143 in Xining, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Xining $1,143

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $1,562 in Xining, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Xining $1,562

Budapest costs about 124% more than Xining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Xining is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,570

$2.74 ¥18.34

410.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$21.93 ¥147

175.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,255

$4.86 ¥32.48

104.94%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,105

$2.98 ¥19.94

13.42%

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

$2.13 Ft 696

$0.47 ¥3.14

353.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 611

$0.27 ¥1.79

592.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,226

$0.87 ¥5.82

331.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,167

$2.06 ¥13.74

73.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 370

$1.88 ¥12.56

-39.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 602

$1.62 ¥10.82

13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 780

$0.90 ¥6.03

165.56%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,250

$1.54 ¥10.26

148.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,702

$12.90 ¥86.2

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,201

$3.13 ¥20.90

115.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,800

$10.17 ¥68.0

44.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.79 ¥11.97

2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 656

$1.26 ¥8.44

59.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 770

$1.48 ¥9.89

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,232

$1.11 ¥7.41

239.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 315

$0.74 ¥4.91

29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 336

$0.92 ¥6.12

11.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 511

$0.57 ¥3.78

173.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 217

$0.54 ¥3.62

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,602

$3.15 ¥21.03

152.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,963

$10.46 ¥69.9

-42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 423

$0.74 ¥4.96

75.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 679

$1.58 ¥10.58

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 491

$0.29 ¥1.95

417.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

$17.01 ¥114

62.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,079

$1.42 ¥9.48

132.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 426

$0.33 ¥2.19

293.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,465

$6.59 ¥44.01

200.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 593

$1.16 ¥7.78

56.03%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$19.4K ¥129.9K

50.89%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$17.2K ¥114.6K

98.84%

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

$170 Ft 55.5K

$44.99 ¥301

277.73%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,836

$9.74 ¥65.1

146.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,654

$11.84 ¥79.2

97.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$41.53 ¥278

59.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,266

$14.17 ¥94.7

35.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,112

$5.81 ¥38.85

63.86%

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

$537 Ft 175.4K

$333 ¥2,227

61.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

-2.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.1K

$44.37 ¥297

128.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$29.89 ¥200

43.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.8K

$72.9 ¥487

54.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

$72.6 ¥485

63.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 263.1K

$273 ¥1,826

194.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.6K

$190 ¥1,270

231.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

$599 ¥4,005

158.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

$353 ¥2,362

230.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,029 ¥20.2K

85.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,058 ¥13.8K

92.85%

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 Xining: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Xining

$190 26.7% 69.8% $439

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Xining

$198 27.8% 23.1% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Xining

$84 11.8% 62.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Xining

$67 9.4% 69.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Xining

$99 13.9% 41.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Xining

$53 7.5% 37.7% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Xining

$21 3% 51.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $273 in Xining. 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 Xining. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $198 – making Xining the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Xining

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,333,700

💱 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 Xining 6,610 km ≈ 9 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 Xining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 124%, 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 $1,085 in Xining. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 62% less in Xining. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $333 in Xining. 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 Xining, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Xining it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Xining – 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 Xining. 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.