Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $734 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $734 per month in Chengdu vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Chengdu $734
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,211 per month in Chengdu vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Chengdu $1,211
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,688 per month in Chengdu vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Chengdu $1,688
Budapest $3,489

Chengdu is about 55% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chengdu sits 45% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.86 ¥19.11

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-79.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.31 ¥149

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-63.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥32.71

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-50.90%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.96

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-11.54%

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

$0.51 ¥3.40

$2.13 Ft 692

-76.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.89

$1.87 Ft 608

-85.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.55

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-38.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.13 Ft 368

62.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.36

$1.84 Ft 599

-15.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$2.39 Ft 777

-59.00%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.47

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-59.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 ¥94.7

$11.33 Ft 3,686

25.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ¥24.76

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-44.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ¥74.3

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$1.84 Ft 597

1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$2.01 Ft 653

-34.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.34

$2.36 Ft 767

-53.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-69.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.03

$0.96 Ft 313

-21.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$1.03 Ft 334

-33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.56 Ft 509

-59.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.66

$0.66 Ft 216

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.59

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.60 ¥30.71

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$1.30 Ft 421

-36.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$2.08 Ft 676

-29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$1.50 Ft 489

-70.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.70 ¥165

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-10.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-58.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.30 Ft 424

-76.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.26

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-77.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.81 Ft 591

-28.18%

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

$19.5K ¥130.6K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-33.37%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-49.95%

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

$47.43 ¥317

$170 Ft 55.3K

-72.09%

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

$9.39 ¥62.8

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-60.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.51 ¥83.6

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-46.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.41 ¥183

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-58.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 ¥75.5

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.14 ¥41.05

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-35.50%

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

$376 ¥2,516

$537 Ft 174.6K

-29.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥99.8K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-10.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 ¥167

$101 Ft 33.0K

-75.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.00 ¥187

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-34.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.3 ¥383

$113 Ft 36.7K

-49.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.7 ¥352

$119 Ft 38.6K

-55.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 ¥3,145

$805 Ft 262.0K

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 ¥1,716

$629 Ft 204.7K

-59.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ¥5,472

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥3,580

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-54.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,708 ¥24.8K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-34.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,928 ¥12.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-51.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,277 ¥8,531

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-21.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

6.43

-47.43%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$257 34.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 145% $372

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 25.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 32.3% $63

Eating Out

Chengdu

$88 11.7%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 154% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 131% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 214% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$40 5.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 115% $46

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 47.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Chengdu 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 27% 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 Chengdu versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $258 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

6 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

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

Chengdu Budapest 7,200 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 121%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,101 per month in Chengdu 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 Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Chengdu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $376 per month in Chengdu 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 Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – 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 Chengdu. 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.