Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $1,008 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Yilan
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Yilan Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Yilan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yilan

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,008 in Yilan, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Yilan $1,008

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,731 in Yilan, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Yilan $1,731

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,455 in Yilan, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Yilan $2,455

Budapest costs about 61% more than Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Yilan is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.55 NT$115

292.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$29.99 NT$973

104.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.61 NT$149

121.04%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.88 NT$93.5

13.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.03 NT$33.33

107.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.65 NT$21.18

173.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.52 NT$49.41

144.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.88 NT$93.4

30.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$3.16 NT$102

-63.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.71 NT$55.3

4.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.74 NT$88.7

-9.12%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.62 NT$84.9

48.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$28.52 NT$925

-61.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.15 NT$264

-18.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.07 NT$554

-13.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.36 NT$142

-58.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.89 NT$61.3

8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.10 NT$100

-23.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.17 NT$70.5

79.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.19 NT$38.51

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.88 NT$61.1

-46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.41 NT$78.0

-34.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.86 NT$27.78

-22.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.87 NT$125

105.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$15.70 NT$509

-60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.40 NT$45.55

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.45 NT$79.3

-17.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.75 NT$24.37

102.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$36.68 NT$1,189

-23.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.75 NT$89.1

20.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.97 NT$31.37

41.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.39 NT$305

111.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.02 NT$33.23

78.43%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.1K NT$814.8K

18.59%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$19.5K NT$633.9K

72.97%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$47.16 NT$1,529

262.85%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$15.12 NT$490

55.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$21.30 NT$691

9.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.11 NT$1,009

117.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.85 NT$255

18.47%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$340 NT$11.0K

56.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.6K NT$537.7K

1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$54.9 NT$1,781

81.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$31.44 NT$1,020

38.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$84.0 NT$2,723

31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$62.2 NT$2,016

91.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$275 NT$8,930

201.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$254 NT$8,237

144.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$995 NT$32.3K

60.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$727 NT$23.6K

61.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$7,893 NT$256.0K

-26.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$4,975 NT$161.3K

-21.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,041 NT$33.8K

58.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.27

184.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Yilan

$254 25.2% 59.2% $368

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Yilan

$375 37.2% 45.2% $117

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Yilan

$97 9.6% 56.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Yilan

$84 8.3% 61.6% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Yilan

$105 10.4% 37.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 45.6% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Yilan

$47 4.7% 6.8% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $275 in Yilan. 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 59% 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 $30.00 in Yilan. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $375 in Yilan – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Yilan

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

95,907

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Yilan 8,900 km ≈ 12 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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 61%, 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 $1,512 in Yilan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 31% less in Yilan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $340 in Yilan. 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 Yilan, where all-in costs run around $1,008, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Yilan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yilan – 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 Yilan. 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.