Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Lat and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Lat: $611 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Da Lat
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$611
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $611 per month in Da Lat vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Da Lat $611
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $914 per month in Da Lat vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Da Lat $914
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Da Lat vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Da Lat $1,218
  • Budapest $3,429

Da Lat is about 62% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Da Lat sits 55% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.20 ₫57.0K
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-84.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.43 ₫399.6K
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-74.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.21 ₫134.8K
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-48.87%
Cappuccino
$1.61 ₫41.6K
$3.26 Ft 1,055
-50.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₫15.2K
$2.14 Ft 690
-72.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₫7,960
$1.78 Ft 577
-82.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ₫22.2K
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-76.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ₫39.4K
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-59.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ₫39.1K
$1.15 Ft 371
31.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 ₫33.8K
$1.79 Ft 578
-27.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.17 ₫30.2K
$2.49 Ft 804
-53.01%
Eggs
$1.62 ₫42.1K
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-58.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.80 ₫202.0K
$11.10 Ft 3,587
-29.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.01 ₫103.9K
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-39.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.55 ₫117.8K
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-69.03%
Apples (1kg)
$4.11 ₫106.4K
$1.83 Ft 591
124.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 ₫47.4K
$2.05 Ft 661
-10.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.21 ₫83.1K
$2.37 Ft 765
35.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 ₫40.0K
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-60.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 ₫45.5K
$0.99 Ft 320
77.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 ₫42.1K
$1.00 Ft 322
62.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ₫19.5K
$1.58 Ft 511
-52.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ₫13.5K
$0.67 Ft 216
-22.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.68 ₫43.5K
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-78.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.71 ₫199.5K
$6.22 Ft 2,009
23.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₫11.4K
$1.27 Ft 411
-65.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 ₫53.5K
$2.03 Ft 654
1.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₫9,514
$1.52 Ft 490
-75.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 ₫15.5K
$3.31 Ft 1,070
-81.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.12 ₫29.0K
$1.37 Ft 442
-18.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$19.83 Ft 6,406
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.85 ₫21.9K
$1.82 Ft 589
-53.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.69 ₫1.0M
$171 Ft 55.3K
-76.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.27 ₫110.6K
$23.51 Ft 7,596
-81.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.92 ₫386.3K
$23.29 Ft 7,526
-35.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$12.46 ₫322.6K
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-81.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
$1.99 ₫51.4K
$9.30 Ft 3,004
-78.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$533 Ft 172.3K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$110 Ft 35.7K
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$119 Ft 38.4K
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$281 ₫7.3M
$830 Ft 268.3K
-66.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$276 ₫7.1M
$622 Ft 200.9K
-55.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$621 ₫16.1M
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-61.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$465 ₫12.0M
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-60.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Da Lat
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$436 ₫11.3M
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-73.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
6.45
-

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

Last update for Da Lat: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Da Lat
$276
Budapest
$622 125% $346
Groceries & Markets
Da Lat
$188
Budapest
$258 37.1% $70
Eating Out
Da Lat
$63
Budapest
$223 252% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Da Lat
$59
Budapest
$218 270% $159
Sport & Entertainment
Da Lat
$16
Budapest
$86 424% $70
Getting Around
Da Lat
$7.7 *
Budapest
$44 476% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Da Lat
- *
Budapest
$168

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $281 in Da Lat 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 279% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Da Lat versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $258 – making Da Lat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Da Lat
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
17:45 5:45 PM
12:45 12:45 PM
5 h behind Da Lat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
258,014
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Da Lat Budapest 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Da Lat
  • 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
Da Lat vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Da Lat?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $916 per month in Da Lat and $2,428 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 Da Lat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Da Lat and in Budapest?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Da Lat or in Budapest?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Da Lat and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Da Lat or in Budapest?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Da Lat, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Da Lat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Da Lat or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Da Lat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Da Lat or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Da Lat. 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.

Da Lat vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?