Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhenjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $699 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
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Zhenjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhenjiang

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $699 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhenjiang $699

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,189 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhenjiang $1,189

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,678 in Zhenjiang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhenjiang $1,678

Budapest costs about 132% more than Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhenjiang is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,517

$3.05 ¥20.41

357.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.22 ¥202

102.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,302

$4.41 ¥29.43

131.07%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,058

$2.64 ¥17.66

23.48%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$0.61 ¥4.09

250.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 578

$0.35 ¥2.37

408.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,202

$1.23 ¥8.22

201.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,221

$2.18 ¥14.56

72.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.77 ¥11.86

-35.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 579

$1.45 ¥9.71

23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.93 ¥6.20

167.74%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$1.66 ¥11.10

134.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,599

$14.39 ¥96.1

-22.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,146

$3.07 ¥20.53

115.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,761

$12.91 ¥86.2

13.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 593

$1.81 ¥12.08

1.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 663

$1.72 ¥11.50

19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 768

$1.75 ¥11.71

35.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,264

$1.69 ¥11.28

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 321

$0.81 ¥5.41

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.99 ¥6.59

1.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.47 ¥3.14

236.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.58 ¥3.89

15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,580

$3.70 ¥24.74

115.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,015

$10.68 ¥71.3

-41.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 412

$0.88 ¥5.88

44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$1.62 ¥10.86

25.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.15 ¥0.98

913.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,082

$7.49 ¥50.0

274.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,073

$1.47 ¥9.83

125.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.47 ¥3.13

191.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,427

$4.38 ¥29.27

352.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 590

$1.21 ¥8.11

50.41%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$17.8K ¥118.9K

67.43%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$17.9K ¥119.6K

88.88%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$57.4 ¥383

198.27%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,620

$8.18 ¥54.7

187.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,550

$7.65 ¥51.1

204.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$45.06 ¥301

49.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,124

$30.32 ¥203

-37.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,013

$9.05 ¥60.5

2.76%

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

$533 Ft 172.9K

$440 ¥2,939

21.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-40.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$44.54 ¥298

123.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$30.24 ¥202

43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$68.2 ¥456

61.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$83.7 ¥559

42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.2K

$228 ¥1,526

263.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.6K

$148 ¥990

319.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

$515 ¥3,440

209.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

$368 ¥2,461

217.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,037 ¥13.6K

186.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$914 ¥6,104

325.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

$970 ¥6,483

70.17%

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 Zhenjiang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhenjiang

$148 21.2% 76.2% $474

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhenjiang

$217 31% 15.9% $41

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhenjiang

$84 12% 62.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhenjiang

$73 10.5% 66.4% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhenjiang

$102 14.6% 39.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhenjiang

$63 9% 26.6% $23

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7% 73.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $228 in Zhenjiang. 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 70% 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 Zhenjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $217 – making Zhenjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

19:05 7:05 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,210,418

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Zhenjiang 8,130 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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 132%, 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 $1,049 in Zhenjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 274% less in Zhenjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $440 in Zhenjiang. 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 Zhenjiang, where all-in costs run around $699, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhenjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhenjiang – 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 Zhenjiang. 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.