Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gwangju and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Gwangju: $1,329 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
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Gwangju Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,329

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,329 per month in Gwangju vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Gwangju $1,329
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,038 per month in Gwangju vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Gwangju $2,038
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,747 per month in Gwangju vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Gwangju $2,747
Budapest $3,429

Gwangju is about 18% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gwangju sits 2% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.98 ₩7,948

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-57.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.07 ₩45.3K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 ₩8,131

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-39.94%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ₩4,317

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-0.31%

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

$1.60 ₩2,127

$2.14 Ft 690

-25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₩837

$1.78 Ft 577

-64.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ₩3,297

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₩6,008

$3.77 Ft 1,217

19.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₩2,269

$1.15 Ft 371

48.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ₩3,153

$1.79 Ft 578

32.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₩3,009

$2.49 Ft 804

-9.24%

Eggs

$2.74 ₩3,639

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-29.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 ₩11.8K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-20.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.6K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

20.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₩15.0K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-23.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₩6,854

$1.83 Ft 591

181.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,037

$2.05 Ft 661

48.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 ₩5,002

$2.37 Ft 765

58.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 ₩4,037

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-22.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 ₩4,747

$0.99 Ft 320

260.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 ₩2,515

$1.00 Ft 322

89.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,663

$1.58 Ft 511

26.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₩1,791

$0.67 Ft 216

101.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,584

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-56.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 ₩14.8K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₩1,935

$1.27 Ft 411

14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,024

$2.03 Ft 654

11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,410

$1.52 Ft 490

-30.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 ₩90.6K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

143.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ₩4,223

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-3.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₩821

$1.37 Ft 442

-54.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 ₩10.4K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-60.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₩1,616

$1.82 Ft 589

-32.97%

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

$28.0K ₩37.3M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-5.92%

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

$35.3K ₩46.9M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

4.39%

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

$210 ₩279.5K

$171 Ft 55.3K

22.86%

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

$43.76 ₩58.2K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

86.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.2K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-9.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ₩68.7K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.71 ₩15.6K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-38.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 ₩15.0K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

20.97%

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

$300 ₩399.0K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-43.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₩23.8M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

7.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.74 ₩42.2K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-68.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.01 ₩34.6K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-40.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ₩84.5K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-42.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ₩117.8K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ₩657.9K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-40.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₩482.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₩1.5M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-26.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 ₩992.8K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-36.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,812 ₩10.4M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

33.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,383 ₩8.5M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

64.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,883 ₩3.8M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

74.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.6

6.45

-44.19%

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

Last update for Gwangju: 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

Gwangju

$363 27.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 71.3% $259

Groceries & Markets

Gwangju

$308 23.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 16.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gwangju

$275 20.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 20.8% $57

Eating Out

Gwangju

$135 10.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 64.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Gwangju

$94 7.1%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 77.4% $73

Getting Around

Gwangju

$79 5.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 43.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Gwangju

$74 5.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 16.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Gwangju 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 75% higher in Gwangju, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Gwangju versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Gwangju vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

23:33 11:33 PM

7 h behind Gwangju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,467,996

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 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).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gwangju Budapest 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gwangju
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

Gwangju vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,993 per month in Gwangju and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gwangju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Gwangju. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $300 per month in Gwangju and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gwangju, where all-in costs run around $1,329, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Gwangju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gwangju – 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 Gwangju. 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.