Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhubei City $1,055

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,841 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhubei City $1,841

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,627 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhubei City $2,627

Budapest costs about 53% more than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhubei City is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.83 NT$157

188.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$28.00 NT$908

118.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.07 NT$164

100.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.89 NT$93.8

12.80%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.91 NT$29.41

135.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.59 NT$19.02

201.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.93 NT$62.5

92.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.33 NT$75.6

61.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$2.79 NT$90.4

-58.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.87 NT$60.7

-4.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.59 NT$149

-45.75%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.85 NT$92.5

36.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$24.76 NT$803

-55.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.37 NT$271

-20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$25.93 NT$841

-43.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.04 NT$131

-54.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.42 NT$78.5

-15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.69 NT$87.3

-11.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.27 NT$106

19.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.02 NT$97.9

-67.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.02 NT$65.5

-50.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$2.06 NT$66.9

-23.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.33 NT$43.25

-49.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.88 NT$126

105.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.23 NT$299

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.43 NT$46.36

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.33 NT$75.4

-12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.61 NT$19.85

149.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.10 NT$101

6.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.64 NT$20.76

114.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.25 NT$300

114.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.99 NT$32.17

83.84%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-10.97%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

36.09%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$103 NT$3,331

66.61%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$18.96 NT$615

24.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$22.80 NT$739

2.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$31.40 NT$1,018

115.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.99 NT$324

-6.91%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$646 NT$20.9K

-17.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$16.5K NT$533.8K

1.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$57.7 NT$1,870

72.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$31.13 NT$1,010

39.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$90.8 NT$2,946

21.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$99.0 NT$3,209

20.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$501 NT$16.2K

65.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$217 NT$7,032

186.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,100 NT$35.7K

44.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$768 NT$24.9K

52.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-64.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-60.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-30.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.4

168.75%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 65.1% $405

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 55% $142

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 51.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 33.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 25.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 40.4% $35

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 80.2% $35

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 $501 in Zhubei 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 45% higher in Zhubei 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $400 in Zhubei City – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

211,746

💱 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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

Budapest
Zhubei 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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,583 in Zhubei City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $28.00 in Zhubei City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 55% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhubei City, where all-in costs run around $1,055, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhubei City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhubei 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 Zhubei 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.