Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yiwu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $550 in Yiwu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Yiwu $550

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,286 in Yiwu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Yiwu $1,286

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,022 in Yiwu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Yiwu $2,022

Budapest costs about 194% more than Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Yiwu is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$2.92 ¥19.54

377.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$29.38 ¥196

108.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$5.13 ¥34.31

98.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.29 ¥22.01

-0.91%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.62 ¥4.15

245.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.38 ¥2.55

368.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.22 ¥8.19

204.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.28 ¥15.22

65.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.85 ¥12.40

-37.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.96 ¥13.09

-8.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$0.98 ¥6.58

154.08%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$1.68 ¥11.26

132.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$17.54 ¥117

-36.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$3.35 ¥22.38

97.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$13.14 ¥87.9

11.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.14 ¥14.29

-14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.75 ¥11.68

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.95 ¥13.05

21.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.66 ¥11.08

134.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.82 ¥5.51

20.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.94 ¥6.28

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.62 ¥4.17

154.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.59 ¥3.96

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$3.75 ¥25.10

112.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$10.78 ¥72.1

-42.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.83 ¥5.56

53.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.60 ¥10.67

26.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.43 ¥2.90

253.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.30 ¥8.73

154.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.43 ¥2.89

218.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$8.89 ¥59.4

123.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.27 ¥8.49

43.31%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

52.28%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$18.6K ¥124.3K

81.94%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$57.4 ¥384

198.01%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$8.10 ¥54.2

190.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$10.41 ¥69.6

123.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$14.73 ¥98.5

358.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$11.34 ¥75.8

66.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$7.22 ¥48.25

28.81%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$1,430 ¥9,566

-62.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$27.3K ¥182.5K

-38.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$53.9 ¥361

84.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$37.73 ¥252

15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$76.8 ¥514

43.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$73.5 ¥491

61.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$446 ¥2,985

86.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$1,053 ¥7,041

51.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$733 ¥4,901

59.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$11.8K ¥78.7K

-50.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,921 ¥19.5K

33.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

$748 ¥5,000

120.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.36

91.96%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Yiwu

$238 43.2% 7.9% $20

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Yiwu

$93 16.9% 58.3% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 65.2% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Yiwu

$109 19.8% 35% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 66.1% $57

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1% 88.2% $39

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 $446 in Yiwu. 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 121% 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 $29.00 in Yiwu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $238 – making Yiwu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

16:02 4:02 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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 Yiwu 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Yiwu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 194%, 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 $825 in Yiwu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yiwu, 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 $29.00 in Yiwu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yiwu – 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 Yiwu. 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.