Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhongli City

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $993 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhongli City $993

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,675 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhongli City $1,675

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,357 in Zhongli City, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhongli City $2,357

Budapest costs about 63% more than Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhongli City is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.62 NT$150

201.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.29 NT$1,015

95.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.77 NT$155

113.63%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.57 NT$83.4

26.85%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.03 NT$33.52

107.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.69 NT$22.35

157.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.61 NT$52.2

130.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.75 NT$89.1

37.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$3.18 NT$103

-63.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.74 NT$56.3

2.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.71 NT$87.9

-8.12%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.60 NT$84.3

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.77 NT$414

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.09 NT$230

-6.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$15.39 NT$499

-4.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.74 NT$121

-51.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.97 NT$63.8

4.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.08 NT$99.9

-23.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.22 NT$72.1

75.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.23 NT$39.81

-19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.90 NT$61.5

-47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.44 NT$79.0

-35.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.85 NT$27.52

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.77 NT$122

111.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$15.45 NT$501

-59.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.55 NT$50.2

-18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.55 NT$82.8

-20.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.61 NT$19.90

149.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$37.64 NT$1,221

-25.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.68 NT$86.8

23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.58 NT$18.72

136.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.61 NT$312

106.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.97 NT$31.60

87.63%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-9.89%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.3K NT$754.6K

45.30%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$106 NT$3,433

61.63%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.76 NT$479

59.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$17.14 NT$556

35.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.62 NT$312

-3.33%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$344 NT$11.1K

55.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.9K NT$546.5K

-0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$72.1 NT$2,338

38.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.46 NT$1,182

19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$55.0 NT$1,782

100.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$108 NT$3,505

10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$448 NT$14.5K

85.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$251 NT$8,125

148.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$874 NT$28.3K

82.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$716 NT$23.2K

63.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,288 NT$74.2K

-27.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.1

207.14%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 59.7% $371

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 22.3% $57

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 54% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 36.8% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 77.7% $67

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 3.2% $1.4

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 $448 in Zhongli City. 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 39% higher in Zhongli City, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $31.00 in Zhongli City. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $315 in Zhongli City – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

396,453

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Zhongli City 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 63%, 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 $1,490 in Zhongli City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 34% less in Zhongli City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $344 in Zhongli City. 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 Zhongli City, where all-in costs run around $993, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhongli City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhongli City – 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 Zhongli City. 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.