Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chuzhou and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chuzhou, China
Budapest, Hungary
Chuzhou
🇨🇳 China
$685
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,638
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Chuzhou vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Chuzhou $685
  • Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Chuzhou vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Chuzhou $1,120
  • Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Chuzhou vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Chuzhou $1,555
  • Budapest $3,467

Chuzhou is about 58% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chuzhou sits 50% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ¥15.15
$13.81 Ft 4,552
-83.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.28 ¥148
$61.5 Ft 20.3K
-63.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 ¥31.65
$10.16 Ft 3,349
-53.15%
Cappuccino
$2.30 ¥15.31
$3.22 Ft 1,062
-28.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.54
$2.06 Ft 680
-74.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.80
$1.83 Ft 605
-85.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.44 ¥2.90
$3.60 Ft 1,188
-87.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ¥10.23
$3.66 Ft 1,208
-57.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ¥10.28
$1.19 Ft 392
29.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 ¥13.75
$1.87 Ft 617
10.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ¥5.57
$2.37 Ft 780
-64.56%
Eggs
$1.32 ¥8.80
$3.96 Ft 1,305
-66.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.57 ¥70.3
$11.16 Ft 3,680
-5.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.03 ¥20.15
$6.76 Ft 2,228
-55.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.07 ¥60.4
$14.35 Ft 4,731
-36.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.09 ¥13.88
$1.81 Ft 596
15.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.36
$2.11 Ft 695
-40.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ¥11.39
$2.33 Ft 770
-26.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.15
$3.80 Ft 1,254
-71.84%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 ¥5.96
$0.99 Ft 327
-9.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.47
$0.98 Ft 324
-1.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 ¥5.92
$1.55 Ft 512
-42.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.46
$0.70 Ft 230
-25.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.83 ¥25.51
$7.79 Ft 2,569
-50.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.28 ¥88.4
$6.05 Ft 1,995
119.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ¥6.31
$1.28 Ft 421
-25.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ¥10.34
$2.04 Ft 672
-24.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$1.55 Ft 511
-80.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.20 ¥128
$27.28 Ft 8,995
-29.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 ¥11.66
$3.30 Ft 1,087
-46.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.41 ¥2.75
$1.31 Ft 433
-68.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.09 ¥60.5
$20.26 Ft 6,679
-55.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ¥8.77
$1.82 Ft 600
-27.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K ¥128.5K
$28.7K Ft 9.5M
-32.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.4K ¥115.5K
$33.1K Ft 10.9M
-47.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.5 ¥369
$172 Ft 56.8K
-67.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.88 ¥52.4
$23.95 Ft 7,897
-67.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.28 ¥48.43
$23.31 Ft 7,685
-68.77%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.09 ¥287
$68.6 Ft 22.6K
-37.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.05 ¥107
$18.91 Ft 6,235
-15.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.07 ¥40.41
$10.18 Ft 3,356
-40.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$441 ¥2,932
$600 Ft 197.9K
-26.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.8K ¥151.9K
$16.8K Ft 5.5M
35.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.42 ¥289
$99.0 Ft 32.6K
-56.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.55 ¥230
$43.25 Ft 14.3K
-20.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.8 ¥431
$113 Ft 37.2K
-42.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 ¥583
$117 Ft 38.6K
-25.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 ¥1,683
$836 Ft 275.6K
-69.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$165 ¥1,095
$640 Ft 210.9K
-74.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 ¥4,032
$1,598 Ft 526.9K
-62.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$376 ¥2,503
$1,205 Ft 397.3K
-68.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,018 ¥20.1K
$5,625 Ft 1.9M
-46.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,996 ¥13.3K
$3,802 Ft 1.3M
-47.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chuzhou
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,671 Ft 551.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.42
6.45
-46.98%

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

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Chuzhou
$198
Budapest
$258 30.6% $61
Accommodation & Living
Chuzhou
$165
Budapest
$640 289% $475
Clothing & Footwear
Chuzhou
$104
Budapest
$168 61.6% $64
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chuzhou
$71
Budapest
$219 211% $149
Eating Out
Chuzhou
$69
Budapest
$221 222% $152
Sport & Entertainment
Chuzhou
$55
Budapest
$89 61% $34
Getting Around
Chuzhou
$24
Budapest
$43 78.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Chuzhou 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 Chuzhou versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $258 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Chuzhou
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
20:56 8:56 PM
13:56 1:56 PM
7 h behind Chuzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,987,054
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chuzhou Budapest 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chuzhou
  • 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
Chuzhou vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chuzhou cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,027 per month in Chuzhou and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $836 in Budapest.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 30% less in Chuzhou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $441 per month in Chuzhou and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 a realistic budget for living in Chuzhou or in Budapest?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Chuzhou or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Chuzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Chuzhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 139% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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