Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
Learn more

Zhangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhangzhou

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $716 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Zhangzhou $716

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,132 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Zhangzhou $1,132

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,547 in Zhangzhou, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Zhangzhou $1,547

Budapest costs about 129% more than Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Zhangzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$2.74 ¥18.35

412.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$21.73 ¥145

180.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.80 ¥32.11

116.04%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.05 ¥20.39

13.44%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.47 ¥3.16

340.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.27 ¥1.78

555.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$0.90 ¥6.01

310.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.06 ¥13.75

84.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.81 ¥12.13

-35.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.59 ¥10.65

16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$0.90 ¥6.03

166.67%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.55 ¥10.35

157.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$12.58 ¥84.1

-9.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$3.15 ¥21.08

118.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.14 ¥67.8

42.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.86 ¥12.45

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.25 ¥8.36

71.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.48 ¥9.91

55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.10 ¥7.38

267.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.73 ¥4.88

39.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.91 ¥6.11

8.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.55 ¥3.70

187.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.56 ¥3.72

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.06 ¥20.49

162.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$10.62 ¥71.0

-41.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$0.73 ¥4.89

69.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.58 ¥10.55

30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.29 ¥1.95

448.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$16.89 ¥113

62.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$1.41 ¥9.43

143.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.32 ¥2.17

315.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$6.55 ¥43.79

212.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.12 ¥7.48

72.32%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$19.1K ¥127.9K

52.35%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$17.2K ¥115.3K

101.41%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$45.55 ¥305

283.29%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$9.74 ¥65.1

142.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$11.81 ¥79.0

99.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$41.19 ¥275

67.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$13.66 ¥91.4

41.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.94 ¥39.75

73.57%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$337 ¥2,251

58.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.7K ¥111.4K

1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$43.23 ¥289

131.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$30.11 ¥201

43.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$71.1 ¥476

57.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$72.8 ¥487

63.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$282 ¥1,886

194.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$196 ¥1,308

221.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$584 ¥3,902

171.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$361 ¥2,411

231.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,977 ¥19.9K

92.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$2,003 ¥13.4K

97.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 68.9% $434

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 24.7% $65

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 62.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 69.8% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 41.9% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 40.7% $36

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 52% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $282 in Zhangzhou. 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 Zhangzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $197 – making Zhangzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,809,983

💱 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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Budapest Zhangzhou 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,074 in Zhangzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 63% less in Zhangzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $337 in Zhangzhou. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangzhou, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Zhangzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhangzhou – 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 Zhangzhou. 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.