Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chenzhou and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Budapest $3,467

Chenzhou is about 56% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.18

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-78.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥148

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-63.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.38

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-52.17%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.26

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-52.17%

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

$0.51 ¥3.42

$2.06 Ft 679

-75.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$1.83 Ft 604

-85.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-64.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.61

$3.66 Ft 1,207

-48.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.11

$1.19 Ft 392

65.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.85

$1.87 Ft 616

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.24

$2.37 Ft 779

-66.67%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-56.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.6

$11.16 Ft 3,677

17.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.51

$6.76 Ft 2,226

-38.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.1

$14.35 Ft 4,727

-19.37%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.81 Ft 595

-67.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.84

$2.11 Ft 695

-44.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$2.33 Ft 769

-68.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.91

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-68.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$0.99 Ft 327

-2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$0.98 Ft 324

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$1.55 Ft 511

-60.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.24

$0.70 Ft 229

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.11

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-61.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.7

$6.05 Ft 1,993

110.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$1.28 Ft 421

-18.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.47

$2.04 Ft 671

-23.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.55 Ft 511

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$27.28 Ft 8,987

-43.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-53.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.31 Ft 433

-77.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.64

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-77.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.82 Ft 599

-29.12%

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

$19.3K ¥128.6K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

-32.85%

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

$17.4K ¥115.8K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-47.47%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$172 Ft 56.7K

-67.29%

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

$8.94 ¥59.6

$23.95 Ft 7,890

-62.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.1

$23.31 Ft 7,679

-51.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥284

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-37.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.8

$18.91 Ft 6,229

-22.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.20

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-36.35%

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

$329 ¥2,192

$600 Ft 197.8K

-45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥562

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-14.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥594

$113 Ft 37.2K

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$117 Ft 38.6K

-49.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,064

$836 Ft 275.4K

-62.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,087

$640 Ft 210.7K

-74.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,892

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,757

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-65.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-37.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-49.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.45

-46.36%

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

Last update for Chenzhou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 20.1% $43

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 292% $477

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 39.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 187% $143

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 212% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 60.1% $33

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 121% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou versus $836 in Budapest. 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 $22 in Chenzhou versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $258 – making Chenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

11:59 11:59 AM

7 h behind Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Chenzhou Budapest 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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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

Chenzhou vs Budapest: 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 $1,081 per month in Chenzhou and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Chenzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chenzhou, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Chenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chenzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 127% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.