Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Zhuzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuzhou: $714 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhuzhou
Learn more

Zhuzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Zhuzhou

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Zhuzhou

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $714 in Zhuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Zhuzhou $714

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,131 in Zhuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Zhuzhou $1,131

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,548 in Zhuzhou, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Zhuzhou $1,548

Budapest costs about 127% more than Zhuzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Zhuzhou is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.75 ¥18.36

406.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$21.53 ¥144

184.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.96 ¥33.18

105.44%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.94 ¥19.66

10.88%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.47 ¥3.13

355.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.29 ¥1.95

513.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$0.90 ¥5.99

312.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.08 ¥13.91

81.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.88 ¥12.55

-38.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.54 ¥10.27

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.97 ¥6.52

156.70%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.61 ¥10.76

142.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.78 ¥85.4

-13.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$3.18 ¥21.23

108.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.40 ¥69.6

41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.79 ¥11.99

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.20 ¥8.02

70.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.54 ¥10.31

53.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.10 ¥7.34

254.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.70 ¥4.70

41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.90 ¥6.02

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.56 ¥3.74

182.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.54 ¥3.62

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.11 ¥20.79

155.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$10.67 ¥71.3

-41.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.75 ¥5.01

69.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.58 ¥10.56

28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.29 ¥1.96

424.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$16.70 ¥112

67.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.42 ¥9.49

133.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.35 ¥2.36

291.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.67 ¥44.57

197.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.17 ¥7.81

55.56%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.3K ¥129.4K

54.02%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.2K ¥115.2K

96.25%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$45.56 ¥305

275.59%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$9.58 ¥64.1

145.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.91 ¥79.6

95.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$42.48 ¥284

58.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.86 ¥92.7

36.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.95 ¥39.78

56.30%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$341 ¥2,279

56.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$17.0K ¥113.8K

-1.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$43.82 ¥293

127.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$29.87 ¥200

45.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$71.5 ¥478

54.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$72.2 ¥483

64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$275 ¥1,840

201.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$191 ¥1,276

225.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$598 ¥3,996

166.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$358 ¥2,393

226.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,979 ¥19.9K

95.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,048 ¥13.7K

89.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.89

65.81%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zhuzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Zhuzhou

$191 26.7% 69.3% $431

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Zhuzhou

$199 27.8% 23% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Zhuzhou

$84 11.8% 62.4% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Zhuzhou

$67 9.4% 69.2% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Zhuzhou

$98 13.7% 41.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Zhuzhou

$54 7.6% 36.9% $32

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Zhuzhou

$21 3% 52.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $275 in Zhuzhou. 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 Zhuzhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $199 – making Zhuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Zhuzhou

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

4,000,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Zhuzhou 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Zhuzhou

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 Zhuzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 127%, 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 $1,070 in Zhuzhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 68% less in Zhuzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $341 in Zhuzhou. 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 Zhuzhou, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Zhuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zhuzhou – 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 Zhuzhou. 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.