Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changchun and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $912 per month in Changchun vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Changchun $912
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,335 per month in Changchun vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Changchun $1,335
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,757 per month in Changchun vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Changchun $1,757
Budapest $3,429

Changchun is about 44% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Changchun sits 32% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ¥19.71

$13.94 Ft 4,525

-78.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-63.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥34.69

$10.19 Ft 3,307

-49.07%

Cappuccino

$2.49 ¥16.66

$3.26 Ft 1,060

-23.62%

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

$0.48 ¥3.20

$2.14 Ft 694

-77.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.78 Ft 579

-83.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.82

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-68.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-51.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.70

$1.15 Ft 372

65.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ¥8.16

$1.79 Ft 580

-31.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$2.49 Ft 808

-41.77%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥12.33

$3.90 Ft 1,267

-52.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$34.91 ¥233

$11.10 Ft 3,605

214.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 ¥39.33

$6.62 Ft 2,149

-11.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$14.69 Ft 4,769

-28.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$1.83 Ft 594

-6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$2.05 Ft 664

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.88

$2.37 Ft 769

-24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-51.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$0.99 Ft 322

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.10

$1.58 Ft 514

-61.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.89

$0.67 Ft 217

120.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.44

$7.96 Ft 2,585

-54.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.59 ¥138

$6.22 Ft 2,019

231.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.27 Ft 413

-26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥7.60

$2.03 Ft 658

-43.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.92

$1.52 Ft 492

-71.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.11

$1.37 Ft 444

-77.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$19.83 Ft 6,438

-85.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.30

$1.82 Ft 591

-31.87%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-34.29%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-46.90%

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

$75.1 ¥502

$171 Ft 55.6K

-56.10%

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

$4.52 ¥30.24

$23.51 Ft 7,634

-80.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.5

$23.29 Ft 7,563

-36.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.44 ¥257

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-43.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.21 ¥28.18

$18.89 Ft 6,135

-77.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.86 ¥45.91

$9.30 Ft 3,019

-26.24%

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

$546 ¥3,650

$533 Ft 173.2K

2.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ¥143.2K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

27.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 ¥496

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-25.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 ¥303

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

4.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥407

$110 Ft 35.8K

-44.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 ¥475

$119 Ft 38.6K

-40.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 ¥1,459

$830 Ft 269.6K

-73.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,679

$622 Ft 201.9K

-59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥3,847

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

-63.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,073

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

-73.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,661 ¥11.1K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-71.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,015 ¥6,789

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-73.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$965 ¥6,451

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

-41.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

6.45

-32.25%

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

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changchun

$315 * 34.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 18.1% $57

Accommodation & Living

Changchun

$251 27.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 148% $371

Clothing & Footwear

Changchun

$113 12.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 48.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changchun

$95 10.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 131% $123

Eating Out

Changchun

$82 9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 173% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Changchun

$52 5.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 65.1% $34

Getting Around

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 872% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Changchun 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 71% 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 $22.00 in Changchun versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Changchun vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changchun

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

07:04 7:04 AM

6 h behind Changchun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,066,906

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changchun Budapest 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Changchun
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

Changchun vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,368 per month in Changchun 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 Changchun, 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 $22.00 in Changchun and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Changchun, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Changchun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changchun – 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 Changchun. 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.