Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhuhai

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhuhai
Learn more

Zhuhai Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhuhai

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $787 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhuhai $787

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,310 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhuhai $1,310

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,833 in Zhuhai, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhuhai $1,833

Budapest costs about 106% more than Zhuhai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhuhai is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.74 ¥18.33

408.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$29.77 ¥199

105.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.28 ¥35.31

92.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.23 ¥21.61

0.93%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.47 ¥3.16

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.35 ¥2.37

408.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.21 ¥8.12

206.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.17 ¥14.48

73.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.60 ¥10.71

-28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.29 ¥8.60

38.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.10 ¥7.34

126.36%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.70 ¥11.39

129.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.23 ¥28.31

162.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$2.30 ¥15.36

187.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$3.85 ¥25.72

281.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.30 ¥8.69

40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$0.59 ¥3.93

247.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.47 ¥3.16

404.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.49 ¥9.98

161.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.76 ¥5.09

30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.46 ¥3.10

117.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.31 ¥2.10

409.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.43 ¥2.90

55.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.95 ¥19.70

169.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$3.68 ¥24.61

69.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.61 ¥4.10

108.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.82 ¥12.16

11.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.13 ¥0.87

1069.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$9.07 ¥60.7

208.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.48 ¥9.89

123.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.37 ¥2.49

270.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.23 ¥48.34

174.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.23 ¥8.24

47.97%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$15.5K ¥103.3K

92.82%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$13.7K ¥91.5K

147.03%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$56.1 ¥375

205.08%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.88 ¥66.1

137.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$16.63 ¥111

40.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$81.8 ¥547

-17.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$31.35 ¥210

-39.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.58 ¥50.7

22.69%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$521 ¥3,485

2.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$23.9K ¥159.6K

-29.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$29.35 ¥196

239.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$40.57 ¥271

7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.8 ¥480

53.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$90.3 ¥604

31.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$436 ¥2,913

90.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$280 ¥1,875

121.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$905 ¥6,050

76.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$656 ¥4,383

78.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,597 ¥30.7K

26.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,882 ¥19.3K

34.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,045 ¥6,987

58.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.35

92.54%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhuhai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhuhai

$280 35.7% 54.9% $341

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhuhai

$119 15.1% 53.9% $139

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhuhai

$90 11.5% 59.5% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhuhai

$83 10.5% 62.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhuhai

$104 13.3% 37.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhuhai

$97 12.3% 12.5% $11

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhuhai

$13 1.6% 70.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $436 in Zhuhai. 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 58% 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 Zhuhai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $119 – making Zhuhai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

21:07 9:07 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,207,090

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Zhuhai 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Zhuhai

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 Zhuhai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 106%, 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 $1,180 in Zhuhai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 209% less in Zhuhai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $521 in Zhuhai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhuhai, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhuhai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhuhai – 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 Zhuhai. 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.