Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yichang

For one person, living is cheaper in Yichang: $714 a month against $1,619 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 Yichang
Learn more

Yichang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Yichang

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yichang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $714 in Yichang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Yichang $714

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,132 in Yichang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Yichang $1,132

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,551 in Yichang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Yichang $1,551

Budapest costs about 127% more than Yichang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Yichang is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.74 ¥18.33

408.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$21.74 ¥145

181.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.88 ¥32.63

108.81%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.96 ¥19.77

10.14%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.47 ¥3.11

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.27 ¥1.79

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.88 ¥5.91

321.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.11 ¥14.12

78.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.86 ¥12.41

-38.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.60 ¥10.73

11.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.95 ¥6.34

162.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.53 ¥10.24

154.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.98 ¥86.8

-14.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.26 ¥21.81

103.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.11 ¥67.6

45.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.79 ¥11.94

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.21 ¥8.09

69.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.53 ¥10.25

54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.15 ¥7.66

239.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.75 ¥5.00

32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.94 ¥6.31

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.55 ¥3.70

187.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.55 ¥3.70

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.16 ¥21.10

151.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.71 ¥71.6

-41.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.76 ¥5.05

67.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.59 ¥10.63

27.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.27 ¥1.79

462.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$16.48 ¥110

70.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.36 ¥9.09

143.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 ¥2.35

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.55 ¥43.81

202.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.12 ¥7.50

62.50%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.3K ¥128.8K

54.70%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.3K ¥115.4K

95.97%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$45.21 ¥302

278.50%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.71 ¥64.9

142.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.62 ¥77.7

100.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$42.47 ¥284

59.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.74 ¥91.9

37.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.95 ¥39.81

56.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$329 ¥2,202

61.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.7K ¥111.8K

0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$43.70 ¥292

127.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$30.05 ¥201

44.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.1 ¥476

55.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.8 ¥473

68.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$273 ¥1,825

204.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$192 ¥1,287

223.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$599 ¥4,006

166.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$361 ¥2,413

224.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,972 ¥19.9K

96.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,068 ¥13.8K

88.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.89

65.81%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yichang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Yichang

$192 26.9% 69.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Yichang

$200 27.9% 22.6% $58

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Yichang

$84 11.7% 62.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Yichang

$67 9.3% 69.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Yichang

$97 13.6% 42.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Yichang

$54 7.6% 36.9% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Yichang

$21 2.9% 53.3% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $273 in Yichang. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $22.00 in Yichang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $200 – making Yichang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Yichang

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,059,686

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Yichang 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Yichang

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 Yichang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, 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 $1,071 in Yichang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 70% less in Yichang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $329 in Yichang. 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 Yichang, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Yichang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yichang – 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 Yichang. 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.