Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,398 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,398

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,398 per month in Cheongju vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Cheongju $1,398
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,320 per month in Cheongju vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Cheongju $2,320
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,241 per month in Cheongju vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Cheongju $3,241
Budapest $3,429

Cheongju is about 14% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cheongju and Budapest sit above the global median – Cheongju by 4%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ₩10.2K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-45.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.79 ₩64.9K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-20.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 ₩8,153

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-39.84%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₩4,851

$3.26 Ft 1,055

11.96%

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

$1.78 ₩2,361

$2.14 Ft 690

-16.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₩1,873

$1.78 Ft 577

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ₩5,033

$3.71 Ft 1,198

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,845

$3.77 Ft 1,217

16.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₩3,128

$1.15 Ft 371

104.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₩4,129

$1.79 Ft 578

73.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 ₩4,178

$2.49 Ft 804

26.10%

Eggs

$2.71 ₩3,606

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-30.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₩14.9K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.27 ₩13.7K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

55.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩32.6K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

67.12%

Apples (1kg)

$11.41 ₩15.2K

$1.83 Ft 591

523.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.56 ₩4,727

$2.05 Ft 661

73.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.0K

$2.37 Ft 765

250.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 ₩7,859

$3.90 Ft 1,260

51.54%

Potato (1kg)

$6.14 ₩8,161

$0.99 Ft 320

520.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 ₩4,336

$1.00 Ft 322

226.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,637

$1.58 Ft 511

73.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,717

$0.67 Ft 216

92.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,413

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-58.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.55 ₩24.7K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

198.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ₩3,287

$1.27 Ft 411

94.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,458

$2.03 Ft 654

65.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₩1,450

$1.52 Ft 490

-28.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ₩4,741

$3.31 Ft 1,070

7.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 ₩1,017

$1.37 Ft 442

-43.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 ₩22.1K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,811

$1.82 Ft 589

-25.27%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-0.95%

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

$33.4K ₩44.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-1.31%

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

$203 ₩269.6K

$171 Ft 55.3K

18.51%

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

$24.35 ₩32.4K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

3.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.57 ₩35.3K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

14.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ₩69.8K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-22.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ₩16.1K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-36.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 ₩16.1K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

30.11%

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

$624 ₩830.0K

$533 Ft 172.3K

17.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.3M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

31.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.95 ₩50.5K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-61.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.3K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

49.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₩126.4K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩150.1K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₩461.0K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₩354.8K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-57.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ₩1.5M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-27.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-35.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,214 ₩9.6M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

23.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,577 ₩7.4M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

43.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,595 ₩3.5M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

57.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.45

-34.57%

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

Last update for Cheongju: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$485 34.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 46.8% $227

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$267 19.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 133% $355

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$254 18.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Cheongju

$164 11.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 36.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$140 10%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 19.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 12.3% $9.4

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 277% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $347 in Cheongju 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 57% higher in Cheongju, 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 $49.00 in Cheongju versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $485 in Cheongju vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

7 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cheongju Budapest 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
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

Cheongju vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,097 per month in Cheongju 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 Cheongju, 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 $49.00 in Cheongju 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 88% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cheongju, where all-in costs run around $1,398, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cheongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cheongju – 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 Cheongju. 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.