Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhoukou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $735 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
Learn more

Zhoukou Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhoukou

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $735 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhoukou $735

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,182 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhoukou $1,182

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,628 in Zhoukou, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhoukou $1,628

Budapest costs about 120% more than Zhoukou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhoukou is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$3.96 ¥26.45

252.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$22.25 ¥149

175.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.88 ¥32.61

108.81%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.24 ¥21.68

0.62%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.48 ¥3.22

345.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.39 ¥2.58

356.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.06 ¥7.11

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.22 ¥14.85

69.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.77 ¥11.85

-35.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.59 ¥10.63

12.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.10 ¥7.36

126.36%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.61 ¥10.77

142.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.10 ¥87.6

-15.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.44 ¥23.03

92.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.31 ¥75.6

29.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.90 ¥12.69

-3.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.27 ¥8.49

61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.56 ¥10.46

51.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.17 ¥7.83

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.77 ¥5.14

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.95 ¥6.38

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.58 ¥3.88

172.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.58 ¥3.89

15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.98 ¥26.63

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$11.61 ¥77.6

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.87 ¥5.83

45.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.35 ¥9.04

50.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.29 ¥1.91

424.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$17.83 ¥119

57.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.55 ¥10.38

113.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.36 ¥2.38

280.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.14 ¥41.03

222.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.25 ¥8.39

45.60%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$17.7K ¥118.6K

68.03%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.5K ¥103.4K

118.57%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$58.1 ¥389

194.43%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.42 ¥49.60

216.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$10.48 ¥70.1

122.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$36.81 ¥246

83.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$15.02 ¥100

25.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.95 ¥39.80

56.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$413 ¥2,765

28.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.0K ¥106.9K

4.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$39.61 ¥265

151.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.96 ¥240

20.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.1 ¥502

46.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$77.9 ¥521

52.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$300 ¥2,008

176.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$179 ¥1,197

247.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$585 ¥3,910

172.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$372 ¥2,489

214.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,774 ¥25.2K

54.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,035 ¥13.6K

91.07%

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 Zhoukou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhoukou

$179 24.3% 71.2% $443

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhoukou

$208 28.3% 19.4% $50

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhoukou

$98 13.4% 55.9% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhoukou

$76 10.3% 65.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhoukou

$103 14% 38.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhoukou

$49 6.6% 43.4% $37

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhoukou

$22 3% 49.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $300 in Zhoukou. 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 Zhoukou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $208 – making Zhoukou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

8,953,172

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Zhoukou 7,710 km ≈ 10 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 Zhoukou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 120%, 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 $1,103 in Zhoukou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 57% less in Zhoukou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $413 in Zhoukou. 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 Zhoukou, where all-in costs run around $735, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhoukou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhoukou – 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 Zhoukou. 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.