Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhangjiagang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhangjiagang $740

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,149 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhangjiagang $1,149

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,558 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Budapest costs about 119% more than Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhangjiagang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$3.80 ¥25.43

266.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$22.20 ¥148

175.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$4.98 ¥33.31

104.62%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$3.04 ¥20.32

7.24%

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

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.49 ¥3.29

336.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.27 ¥1.81

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.51 ¥10.09

145.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$2.22 ¥14.84

69.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$2.08 ¥13.90

-44.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$2.09 ¥13.95

-14.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$0.84 ¥5.64

196.43%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$1.36 ¥9.09

186.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$10.64 ¥71.1

4.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$2.93 ¥19.60

125.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$9.12 ¥61.0

61.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$2.04 ¥13.66

-10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.29 ¥8.64

58.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.80 ¥12.04

31.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.11 ¥7.39

251.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.90 ¥5.99

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.90 ¥6.03

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.87 ¥5.80

81.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.53 ¥3.51

26.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$3.64 ¥24.37

118.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$13.44 ¥89.9

-53.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.94 ¥6.27

35.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.56 ¥10.44

30.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.30 ¥1.99

406.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$17.58 ¥118

59.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.76 ¥11.78

88.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.39 ¥2.60

251.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$8.76 ¥58.6

126.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.37 ¥9.14

32.85%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.2K ¥128.2K

55.39%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$16.9K ¥112.7K

100.61%

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

$171 Ft 55.6K

$55.8 ¥373

206.94%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$7.76 ¥51.9

202.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$7.32 ¥48.98

218.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$36.15 ¥242

86.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$16.01 ¥107

17.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$6.07 ¥40.61

53.21%

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

$533 Ft 173.2K

$418 ¥2,794

27.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-25.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$42.99 ¥288

131.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$34.04 ¥228

27.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$65.7 ¥439

68.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$88.5 ¥592

34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$280 ¥1,869

197.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$194 ¥1,295

221.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$719 ¥4,809

121.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$324 ¥2,168

261.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,266 ¥21.8K

78.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,685 ¥11.3K

130.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.42

88.60%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 68.9% $428

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 20.9% $54

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 56.6% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 67.5% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 37.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 43.9% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 49.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 Zhangjiagang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $204 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,432,044

💱 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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Budapest Zhangjiagang 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 119%, 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 $1,110 in Zhangjiagang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 59% less in Zhangjiagang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $418 in Zhangjiagang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangjiagang – 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 Zhangjiagang. 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.