Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeongju and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,228 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,228

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Gyeongju vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,228
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Gyeongju vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,988
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,748 per month in Gyeongju vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Gyeongju $2,748
Budapest $3,429

Gyeongju is about 24% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Gyeongju sits 9% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.1K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.01 ₩63.8K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-21.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,653

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-36.11%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-7.36%

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

$1.10 ₩1,457

$2.14 Ft 690

-48.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₩469

$1.78 Ft 577

-80.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₩3,442

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,764

$3.77 Ft 1,217

15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,073

$1.15 Ft 371

100.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₩3,280

$1.79 Ft 578

37.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.49 Ft 804

25.70%

Eggs

$2.60 ₩3,451

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₩13.7K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

56.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 ₩5,985

$1.83 Ft 591

145.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,411

$2.05 Ft 661

25.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,075

$2.37 Ft 765

61.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 ₩4,879

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-5.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ₩3,398

$0.99 Ft 320

158.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 ₩2,897

$1.00 Ft 322

118.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₩2,917

$1.58 Ft 511

38.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,766

$0.67 Ft 216

98.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,571

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-56.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ₩19.6K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

137.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,515

$1.27 Ft 411

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,949

$2.03 Ft 654

9.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,409

$1.52 Ft 490

-30.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₩3,895

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-11.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₩1,046

$1.37 Ft 442

-42.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 ₩22.0K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-16.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₩1,354

$1.82 Ft 589

-43.96%

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

$29.6K ₩39.3M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-0.81%

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

$34.0K ₩45.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

0.61%

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

$80.6 ₩107.1K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-52.93%

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

$36.83 ₩49.0K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

56.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 ₩36.2K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

16.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₩69.3K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ₩15.9K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-36.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

18.71%

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

$639 ₩849.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

19.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K ₩29.5M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

32.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₩60.3K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-54.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 ₩29.8K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-48.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ₩121.9K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-16.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩170.8K

$119 Ft 38.4K

7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩635.9K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-42.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩486.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-41.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.5M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-27.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ₩972.7K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-37.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,249 ₩9.6M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

24.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,416 ₩7.2M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

39.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 ₩2.4M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

11.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.45

-34.57%

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

Last update for Gyeongju: 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

Gyeongju

$366 29.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 69.9% $256

Groceries & Markets

Gyeongju

$359 29.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 28.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeongju

$145 11.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 50.7% $73

Eating Out

Gyeongju

$144 11.7%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 54.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeongju

$130 10.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 29.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeongju

$74 6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 16% $12

Getting Around

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 299% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Gyeongju 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 11% higher in Gyeongju, 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 $48.00 in Gyeongju versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $359 in Gyeongju vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

7 h behind Gyeongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,156

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gyeongju Budapest 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gyeongju
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

Gyeongju vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Gyeongju 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 Gyeongju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Gyeongju and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 39% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gyeongju – 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 Gyeongju. 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.