Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erdenet and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $377 per month in Erdenet vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Erdenet $377
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $617 per month in Erdenet vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Erdenet $617
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $858 per month in Erdenet vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Erdenet $858
Budapest $3,489

Erdenet is about 77% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Erdenet sits 72% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-70.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-54.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-59.04%

Cappuccino

$2.29 MNT 8,214

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-32.25%

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

$0.66 MNT 2,373

$2.13 Ft 692

-69.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MNT 1,454

$1.87 Ft 608

-78.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 MNT 6,100

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MNT 5,840

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-54.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 MNT 3,627

$1.13 Ft 368

-10.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 MNT 3,281

$1.84 Ft 599

-50.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

$2.39 Ft 777

19.25%

Eggs

$2.02 MNT 7,270

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-47.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-37.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

$6.74 Ft 2,192

0.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-69.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MNT 8,038

$1.84 Ft 597

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MNT 6,054

$2.01 Ft 653

-16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 MNT 5,857

$2.36 Ft 767

-30.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 MNT 4,925

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-63.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 MNT 5,136

$0.96 Ft 313

48.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MNT 3,040

$1.03 Ft 334

-17.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 MNT 5,071

$1.56 Ft 509

-9.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MNT 3,539

$0.66 Ft 216

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-64.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

$6.01 Ft 1,954

-5.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 MNT 5,830

$1.30 Ft 421

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 MNT 5,938

$2.08 Ft 676

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 MNT 549

$1.50 Ft 489

-90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-29.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 MNT 2,209

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-81.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 MNT 1,546

$1.30 Ft 424

-66.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 MNT 2,689

$1.81 Ft 591

-58.56%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-66.03%

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

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-88.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-39.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

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

$281 MNT 1.0M

$537 Ft 174.6K

-47.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-85.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 MNT 782.9K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-86.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Erdenet

$188 50.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 36.8% $69

Eating Out

Erdenet

$88 23.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 154% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erdenet

$75 20%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 191% $143

Getting Around

Erdenet

$23 6.1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 89.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Erdenet

- * 0%

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Erdenet

- * 0%

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Accommodation & Living

Erdenet

- * 0%

Budapest

$629 38.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 646% 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 $27.00 in Erdenet versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $258 – making Erdenet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

08:18 8:18 AM

6 h behind Erdenet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,866

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 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 MNT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Erdenet Budapest 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Erdenet
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

Erdenet vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 330%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $565 per month in Erdenet and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Erdenet. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $281 per month in Erdenet and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Erdenet, where all-in costs run around $377, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Erdenet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Erdenet – 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 Erdenet. 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.