Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changsha and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $784 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Changsha vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Changsha $784
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,263 per month in Changsha vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Changsha $1,263
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Changsha vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Changsha $1,742
Budapest $3,489

Changsha is about 52% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Changsha sits 42% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-78.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ¥148

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-63.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-49.90%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.94

$3.38 Ft 1,100

1.48%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$2.13 Ft 692

-77.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$1.87 Ft 608

-86.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-44.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$1.13 Ft 368

73.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 ¥15.76

$1.84 Ft 599

28.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$2.39 Ft 777

-60.67%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.56

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-54.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 ¥85.8

$11.33 Ft 3,686

13.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ¥26.13

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-41.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$1.84 Ft 597

58.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$2.01 Ft 653

-28.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$2.36 Ft 767

-19.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-48.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$0.96 Ft 313

5.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$1.03 Ft 334

52.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$1.56 Ft 509

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.66 Ft 216

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.22

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-61.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

$6.01 Ft 1,954

106.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$1.30 Ft 421

-17.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$2.08 Ft 676

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$1.50 Ft 489

-76.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.5

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-46.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-55.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.30 Ft 424

-77.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.22

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-77.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.81 Ft 591

-28.73%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-33.59%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-49.02%

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

$56.9 ¥380

$170 Ft 55.3K

-66.55%

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

$8.83 ¥59.0

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-63.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.56 ¥90.6

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-42.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥367

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-17.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 ¥163

$19.18 Ft 6,239

27.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ¥43.01

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-32.35%

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

$325 ¥2,169

$537 Ft 174.6K

-39.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

1.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 ¥546

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 ¥229

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-20.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ¥583

$113 Ft 36.7K

-22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 ¥395

$119 Ft 38.6K

-50.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,770

$805 Ft 262.0K

-67.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,122

$629 Ft 204.7K

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,804

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-63.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-67.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 ¥16.6K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-55.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 ¥9,308

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-64.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ¥7,331

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-32.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.43

-46.19%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$235 30.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 9.6% $22

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$168 21.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 275% $461

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$118 15.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 43.3% $51

Eating Out

Changsha

$93 11.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 141% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 174% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 25.7% $17

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 126% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $265 in Changsha versus $805 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 48% 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 Changsha versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $258 – making Changsha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:19 2:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

6 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Changsha Budapest 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
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

Changsha vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,175 per month in Changsha and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 85% less in Changsha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $325 per month in Changsha and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Changsha, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Changsha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Changsha – 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 Changsha. 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.