Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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 Yantai
Learn more

Yantai Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yantai

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $629 in Yantai, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Yantai $629

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $926 in Yantai, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Yantai $926

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,223 in Yantai, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Yantai $1,223

Budapest costs about 157% more than Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Yantai is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.92 ¥19.55

377.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$18.14 ¥121

237.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.58 ¥30.65

122.49%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.81 ¥18.78

16.01%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.54 ¥3.58

296.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.32 ¥2.15

456.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.05 ¥7.01

253.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.60 ¥17.39

45.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.96 ¥13.11

-41.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.35 ¥9.01

32.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.83 ¥5.58

200.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.35 ¥9.02

188.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$16.32 ¥109

-31.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.28 ¥21.94

101.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.89 ¥46.04

113.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.37 ¥9.19

33.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.89 ¥5.98

130.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.07 ¥7.16

121.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.74 ¥4.92

427.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.67 ¥4.49

47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.78 ¥5.24

28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.58 ¥3.91

172.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.63 ¥4.19

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.65 ¥24.39

118.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.68 ¥78.1

-46.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.78 ¥5.25

62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.03 ¥6.88

97.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.21 ¥1.40

623.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.36 ¥9.11

143.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.29 ¥1.92

372.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.48 ¥43.30

206.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.23 ¥8.20

47.97%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

54.44%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$16.4K ¥109.8K

105.97%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$44.64 ¥298

283.33%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$6.79 ¥45.37

246.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$6.09 ¥40.75

282.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$29.60 ¥198

128.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.43 ¥49.69

154.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.44 ¥36.37

70.96%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$363 ¥2,426

46.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.6K ¥111.2K

0.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$17.97 ¥120

454.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$22.78 ¥152

90.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$93.7 ¥626

17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$90.2 ¥603

31.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$223 ¥1,490

272.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$151 ¥1,010

311.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$353 ¥2,358

351.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$147 ¥982

696.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,056 ¥20.4K

90.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$5,096 ¥34.1K

-23.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,063 ¥7,107

55.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.37

91.39%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Yantai

$151 24% 75.7% $471

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 26% $67

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 62% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 73.6% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 39.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 53% $46

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 91.8% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $223 in Yantai. 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 55% 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 $18.00 in Yantai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $191 – making Yantai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,871,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Yantai 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 157%, 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 $944 in Yantai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $18.00 in Yantai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yantai, where all-in costs run around $629, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Yantai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yantai – 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 Yantai. 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.