Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $716 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhanjiang
Learn more

Zhanjiang Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhanjiang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $716 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhanjiang $716

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,136 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhanjiang $1,136

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,556 in Zhanjiang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhanjiang $1,556

Budapest costs about 126% more than Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.59 ¥17.33

438.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$19.75 ¥132

209.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.20 ¥34.77

95.96%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.82 ¥18.83

15.60%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.51 ¥3.42

319.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.34 ¥2.29

423.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.21 ¥8.11

206.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.96 ¥13.13

92.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.82 ¥12.15

-36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.76 ¥11.75

1.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.83 ¥5.54

200.00%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.62 ¥10.85

140.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.01 ¥100

-26.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.19 ¥21.30

107.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.84 ¥65.8

49.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.85 ¥12.36

-1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.28 ¥8.59

60.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.55 ¥10.37

52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.27 ¥8.47

207.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.73 ¥4.88

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.83 ¥5.55

20.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.57 ¥3.83

177.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.58 ¥3.87

15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.58 ¥23.93

122.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.68 ¥71.4

-41.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.97 ¥6.48

30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.79 ¥11.95

13.41%

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

$16.11 ¥108

73.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.65 ¥11.00

100.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.31 ¥2.08

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.12 ¥40.91

224.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.09 ¥7.32

66.97%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$17.8K ¥118.7K

67.87%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.7K ¥104.8K

115.81%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$56.1 ¥375

204.81%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.19 ¥61.5

155.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$12.15 ¥81.3

91.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$40.07 ¥268

68.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.31 ¥89.0

41.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.99 ¥40.05

55.26%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$373 ¥2,493

43.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.4K ¥109.5K

2.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$46.39 ¥310

114.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$34.55 ¥231

25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$70.3 ¥470

57.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$74.8 ¥500

59.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$310 ¥2,073

167.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$173 ¥1,154

260.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$577 ¥3,858

176.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$343 ¥2,295

240.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,337 ¥22.3K

74.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,866 ¥12.5K

108.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

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 Zhanjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhanjiang

$173 24.1% 72.3% $449

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhanjiang

$208 29.1% 19.2% $50

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.7% 62.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.8% 64.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhanjiang

$102 14.2% 39.3% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhanjiang

$52 7.3% 39.6% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhanjiang

$20 2.9% 53.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $310 in Zhanjiang. 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 $20.00 in Zhanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $208 – making Zhanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

17:01 5:01 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,612,000

💱 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 Zhanjiang 8,380 km ≈ 11 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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 126%, 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 $1,074 in Zhanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 74% less in Zhanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $373 in Zhanjiang. 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 Zhanjiang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhanjiang – 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 Zhanjiang. 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.