Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chang-hua and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chang-hua and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chang-hua and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $864 per month in Chang-hua vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Chang-hua $864
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,343 per month in Chang-hua vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,343
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Chang-hua vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Chang-hua $1,822
Budapest $3,429

Chang-hua is about 47% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chang-hua sits 36% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 NT$124

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-72.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.76 NT$1,062

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-46.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 NT$179

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-45.73%

Cappuccino

$1.63 NT$52.7

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-50.00%

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

$0.96 NT$30.99

$2.14 Ft 690

-55.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.01

$1.78 Ft 577

-68.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 NT$44.21

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-63.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-42.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 NT$77.1

$1.15 Ft 371

106.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 NT$67.2

$1.79 Ft 578

15.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 NT$95.5

$2.49 Ft 804

18.07%

Eggs

$2.76 NT$89.5

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 NT$525

$11.10 Ft 3,587

45.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 NT$308

$6.62 Ft 2,139

43.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 NT$688

$14.69 Ft 4,745

44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 NT$156

$1.83 Ft 591

163.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 NT$110

$2.05 Ft 661

64.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$2.37 Ft 765

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 NT$89.8

$0.99 Ft 320

179.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 NT$68.4

$1.00 Ft 322

111.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 NT$54.9

$1.58 Ft 511

6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 NT$24.97

$0.67 Ft 216

14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 NT$128

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-50.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 NT$306

$6.22 Ft 2,009

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 NT$44.70

$1.27 Ft 411

8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.4

$2.03 Ft 654

12.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 NT$50.4

$1.52 Ft 490

1.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.80 NT$1,129

$28.02 Ft 9,053

24.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 NT$85.9

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-19.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 NT$24.71

$1.37 Ft 442

-44.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.29 NT$301

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-53.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.39

$1.82 Ft 589

-41.76%

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

$33.1K NT$1.1M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

11.21%

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

$24.3K NT$787.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-28.18%

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

$31.62 NT$1,025

$171 Ft 55.3K

-81.52%

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

$16.99 NT$551

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-27.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 NT$607

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-19.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 NT$1,029

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-52.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.38 NT$304

$9.30 Ft 3,004

0.86%

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

$636 NT$20.6K

$533 Ft 172.3K

19.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,946 NT$257.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-52.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.35 NT$1,600

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-50.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.47 NT$502

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-64.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 NT$2,534

$110 Ft 35.7K

-29.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.57 NT$1,607

$119 Ft 38.4K

-58.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 NT$8,160

$830 Ft 268.3K

-69.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$170 NT$5,528

$622 Ft 200.9K

-72.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 NT$16.5K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-68.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 NT$5,480

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-85.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,959 NT$96.0K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-49.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 NT$52.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-58.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,011 NT$65.2K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

21.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.2

6.45

-65.89%

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

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chang-hua

$358 41.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 27.9% $100

Accommodation & Living

Chang-hua

$170 19.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 265% $451

Clothing & Footwear

Chang-hua

$87 10%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 93.4% $81

Eating Out

Chang-hua

$84 9.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 166% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chang-hua

$67 7.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 224% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Chang-hua

$51 5.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 70.5% $36

Getting Around

Chang-hua

$47 5.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 6.8% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Chang-hua versus $830 in Budapest. 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 22% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $33.00 in Chang-hua versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Chang-hua vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

6 h behind Chang-hua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,564

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

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).

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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chang-hua Budapest 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chang-hua
Budapest

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

Chang-hua vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Chang-hua and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 24% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Chang-hua and $533 in Budapest. 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 Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chang-hua – 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 Chang-hua. 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.