Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $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.

Jump to prices
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: China is 39.6% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 51.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: China is 42.2% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 49.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.90 ¥19.39
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-79.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.02 ¥147
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-63.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 ¥34.74
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-47.79%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.31
$3.38 Ft 1,100
-10.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.45
$2.13 Ft 692
-75.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.85
$1.87 Ft 608
-85.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ¥6.75
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-73.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 ¥14.64
$3.57 Ft 1,162
-38.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.75 ¥11.71
$1.13 Ft 368
54.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 ¥10.96
$1.84 Ft 599
-10.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.12
$2.39 Ft 777
-61.51%
Eggs
$1.59 ¥10.66
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-58.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.99 ¥86.8
$11.33 Ft 3,686
14.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 ¥22.38
$6.74 Ft 2,192
-50.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.18 ¥74.7
$14.69 Ft 4,780
-23.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 ¥12.02
$1.84 Ft 597
-2.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$2.01 Ft 653
-34.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.80
$2.36 Ft 767
-37.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 ¥8.79
$3.77 Ft 1,226
-64.99%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.07
$0.96 Ft 313
-20.83%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ¥6.15
$1.03 Ft 334
-10.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$1.56 Ft 509
-62.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.63
$0.66 Ft 216
-18.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥25.34
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-52.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 ¥81.1
$6.01 Ft 1,954
102.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ¥5.48
$1.30 Ft 421
-36.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 ¥10.92
$2.08 Ft 676
-21.63%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.93
$1.50 Ft 489
-80.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.33 ¥149
$27.61 Ft 8,982
-19.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 ¥10.24
$3.30 Ft 1,074
-53.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.31
$1.30 Ft 424
-73.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.00 ¥46.79
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-64.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ¥8.77
$1.81 Ft 591
-27.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K ¥127.1K
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
-35.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥113.7K
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-50.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.1 ¥362
$170 Ft 55.3K
-68.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.42 ¥56.3
$23.98 Ft 7,802
-64.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.72 ¥71.6
$23.42 Ft 7,621
-54.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.72 ¥272
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-38.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.58 ¥97.4
$19.18 Ft 6,239
-23.98%
Cinema Ticket
$6.76 ¥45.15
$9.52 Ft 3,098
-28.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ¥3,089
$537 Ft 174.6K
-13.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.6K ¥131.0K
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
18.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.57 ¥305
$101 Ft 33.0K
-55.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.05 ¥241
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
-16.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 ¥504
$113 Ft 36.7K
-33.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.0 ¥528
$119 Ft 38.6K
-33.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 ¥2,577
$805 Ft 262.0K
-52.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,601
$629 Ft 204.7K
-61.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 ¥5,637
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-45.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 ¥3,083
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
-60.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,590 ¥30.7K
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-18.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,279 ¥15.2K
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-42.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,060 ¥7,082
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
-34.82%
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 China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
China
$240
Budapest
$629 163% $390
Groceries & Markets
China
$207
Budapest
$258 24.3% $50
Clothing & Footwear
China
$106
Budapest
$169 59.2% $63
Eating Out
China
$88
Budapest
$224 155% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
$73
Budapest
$217 197% $144
Sport & Entertainment
China
$54
Budapest
$85 57.3% $31
Getting Around
China
$27
Budapest
$43 62.4% $17
Good to know
🇨🇳 China
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
14:17 2:17 PM
08:17 8:17 AM
6 h behind China
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,442,965,000
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

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 →
On the map
Between locations
  • China Budapest 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • China
  • 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

China vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

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