Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Hungary

Name: Hungary
Address: HU

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,361 in Hungary, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
Learn more

Hungary Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Hungary

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in China and in Hungary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,361 in Hungary.

China $791
Hungary $1,361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $2,095 in Hungary.

China $1,251
Hungary $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,830 in Hungary.

China $1,711
Hungary $2,830

China ($465–$1,222) and Hungary ($1,015–$1,638) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 42% less than in Hungary on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.78

$12.28 Ft 4,026

-75.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

-58.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.55

$9.31 Ft 3,052

-44.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.71

$2.57 Ft 843

15.56%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$1.76 Ft 578

-72.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.00

$1.38 Ft 451

-78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$2.73 Ft 894

-60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.13

$2.67 Ft 875

-14.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.94

$1.21 Ft 395

48.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.13

$1.56 Ft 512

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.29 Ft 750

-59.83%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.50 Ft 1,146

-54.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥88.9

$10.50 Ft 3,441

27.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.25

$6.44 Ft 2,112

-47.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.4

$14.32 Ft 4,694

-20.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.11

$2.01 Ft 659

-9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.68

$2.12 Ft 694

-38.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$2.13 Ft 698

-30.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.46

$3.36 Ft 1,103

-62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$1.04 Ft 342

-31.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.18 Ft 388

-21.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.11

$1.50 Ft 491

-58.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.73

$0.59 Ft 192

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.12

$7.74 Ft 2,538

-51.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.6

$5.11 Ft 1,673

137.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.53

$1.20 Ft 392

-30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$1.93 Ft 632

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.39 Ft 456

-79.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥118

$26.94 Ft 8,832

-33.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.88

$3.42 Ft 1,121

-56.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.39 Ft 455

-73.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.17

$18.45 Ft 6,047

-61.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.89 Ft 620

-33.33%

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

$19.4K ¥129.2K

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

-29.71%

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

$17.5K ¥116.5K

$34.3K Ft 11.3M

-48.92%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$160 Ft 52.4K

-65.84%

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

$8.73 ¥58.0

$25.56 Ft 8,380

-65.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.5

$22.47 Ft 7,366

-50.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

-23.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.2

$16.16 Ft 5,295

-10.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.05

$8.74 Ft 2,864

-22.43%

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

$517 ¥3,433

$399 Ft 130.6K

29.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.6K

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

80.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥309

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

-46.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

-17.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥533

$97.2 Ft 31.9K

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,564

$598 Ft 196.0K

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,558

$466 Ft 152.7K

-49.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,461

$1,040 Ft 340.8K

-20.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,011

$809 Ft 265.1K

-43.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.2K

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

28.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$2,683 Ft 879.6K

-11.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,264

$1,290 Ft 422.7K

-15.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

7.15

-51.61%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Hungary

$466 34.2% 98.6% $231

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Hungary

$244 17.9% 16.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Hungary

$141 10.4% 31% $33

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Hungary

$189 13.9% 114% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Hungary

$208 15.3% 179% $133

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Hungary

$71 5.2% 29.8% $16

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Hungary

$43 3.2% 91.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $511 in Hungary. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $836 in Budapest.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $1,184 in Hungary. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 71% higher in Hungary.

Dining out costs 136% more in Hungary.

Public transport is 44% more expensive in Hungary.

Salaries are 36% higher in Hungary, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇭🇺 Hungary

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

7 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

9,599,744

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.05 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Hungary 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Hungary

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 Hungary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,361 in Hungary, China comes out about 42% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $511 in Hungary and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.