Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

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Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Budapest $3,489

Hong Kong costs about 84% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hong Kong and Budapest sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-39.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

4.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-37.75%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.42

$3.38 Ft 1,102

44.97%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$2.13 Ft 693

-40.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$1.87 Ft 609

-43.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$3.75 Ft 1,222

104.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$3.57 Ft 1,163

75.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.13 Ft 369

153.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.84 Ft 600

32.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$2.39 Ft 777

-8.79%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-7.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$11.33 Ft 3,689

121.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$6.74 Ft 2,194

31.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$14.69 Ft 4,784

20.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.23

$1.84 Ft 598

123.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$2.01 Ft 654

35.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$2.36 Ft 767

94.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$3.77 Ft 1,227

6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$0.96 Ft 314

238.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$1.03 Ft 335

217.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$1.56 Ft 509

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.66 Ft 216

162.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$7.96 Ft 2,594

65.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$6.01 Ft 1,956

176.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.30 Ft 422

54.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$2.08 Ft 677

4.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$1.50 Ft 490

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$27.61 Ft 8,991

222.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.54

$3.30 Ft 1,075

10.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$1.30 Ft 424

0.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-20.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.81 Ft 591

124.31%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

51.28%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

9.55%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$170 Ft 55.3K

45.62%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-33.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$23.42 Ft 7,628

-8.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

37.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-52.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$9.52 Ft 3,101

46.64%

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

$1,155 HK$9,068

$537 Ft 174.8K

115.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

33.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$101 Ft 33.0K

-32.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$113 Ft 36.7K

-29.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$119 Ft 38.7K

-0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$805 Ft 262.2K

170.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$629 Ft 204.9K

173.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

225.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

203.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

418.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

342.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

98.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

6.43

-39.19%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 63.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 37.9% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 23.7% $67

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 9.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 22.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 28.5% $34

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 58.6% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $805 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 99% higher in Hong Kong, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

6 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Budapest 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
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

Hong Kong vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hong Kong is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 223% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,155 per month in Hong Kong and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.