Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hungary and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,361 in Hungary, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Hungary
Learn more

Hungary Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,361

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hungary and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hungary and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,361 in Hungary versus $791 in China.

Hungary $1,361
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Hungary versus $1,251 in China.

Hungary $2,095
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,830 in Hungary versus $1,711 in China.

Hungary $2,830
China $1,711

Hungary ($1,015–$1,638) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Hungary is roughly 72% more expensive than in China on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 Ft 4,026

$2.98 ¥19.81

312.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 Ft 17.6K

$22.09 ¥147

143.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 Ft 3,052

$5.20 ¥34.60

79.04%

Cappuccino

$2.57 Ft 843

$2.97 ¥19.74

-13.47%

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

$1.76 Ft 578

$0.48 ¥3.19

266.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 Ft 451

$0.30 ¥2.01

360.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 Ft 894

$1.08 ¥7.18

152.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Ft 875

$2.28 ¥15.15

17.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Ft 395

$1.80 ¥11.96

-32.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 Ft 512

$1.68 ¥11.15

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 750

$0.92 ¥6.13

148.91%

Eggs

$3.50 Ft 1,146

$1.61 ¥10.73

117.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 Ft 3,441

$13.38 ¥89.0

-21.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 Ft 2,112

$3.35 ¥22.28

92.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 Ft 4,694

$11.35 ¥75.5

26.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 659

$1.82 ¥12.12

10.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 Ft 694

$1.31 ¥8.69

61.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Ft 698

$1.49 ¥9.89

42.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 Ft 1,103

$1.27 ¥8.47

164.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 342

$0.71 ¥4.73

46.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 Ft 388

$0.93 ¥6.21

26.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 Ft 491

$0.62 ¥4.12

141.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 Ft 192

$0.56 ¥3.74

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Ft 2,538

$3.78 ¥25.15

104.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 Ft 1,673

$12.13 ¥80.7

-57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 392

$0.83 ¥5.54

44.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 Ft 632

$1.68 ¥11.21

14.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 Ft 456

$0.29 ¥1.91

379.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 Ft 8,832

$17.83 ¥119

51.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Ft 1,121

$1.49 ¥9.89

129.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 Ft 455

$0.37 ¥2.49

275.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.45 Ft 6,047

$7.10 ¥47.23

159.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Ft 620

$1.26 ¥8.37

50.00%

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

$27.7K Ft 9.1M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

42.26%

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

$34.3K Ft 11.3M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

95.78%

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

$160 Ft 52.4K

$54.6 ¥363

192.78%

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

$25.56 Ft 8,380

$8.73 ¥58.1

192.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 Ft 7,366

$11.07 ¥73.6

102.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 Ft 17.4K

$40.77 ¥271

30.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.16 Ft 5,295

$14.48 ¥96.4

11.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 Ft 2,864

$6.78 ¥45.12

28.91%

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

$399 Ft 130.6K

$517 ¥3,437

-22.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Ft 3.6M

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-44.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 Ft 28.5K

$46.53 ¥310

87.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.59 Ft 11.7K

$35.66 ¥237

-0.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 Ft 30.7K

$77.0 ¥512

21.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 Ft 31.9K

$80.3 ¥534

21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 Ft 196.0K

$386 ¥2,567

54.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 Ft 152.7K

$235 ¥1,561

98.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 Ft 340.8K

$822 ¥5,469

26.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 Ft 265.1K

$453 ¥3,015

78.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,668 Ft 1.2M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-21.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,683 Ft 879.6K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

13.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,290 Ft 422.7K

$1,093 ¥7,274

17.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.15

3.46

106.65%

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

Last update for Hungary: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hungary

$466 34.2%

China

$235 29.6% 49.7% $231

Groceries & Markets

Hungary

$244 17.9%

China

$210 26.5% 14% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hungary

$208 15.3%

China

$74 9.4% 64.2% $133

Eating Out

Hungary

$189 13.9%

China

$88 11.1% 53.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Hungary

$141 10.4%

China

$108 13.6% 23.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Hungary

$71 5.2%

China

$54 6.9% 23% $16

Getting Around

Hungary

$43 3.2%

China

$22 2.8% 47.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $511 in Hungary, $298 in China. Capital cities: $836 in Budapest vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,184 in Hungary, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 71% higher in Hungary.

Dining out costs 136% more in Hungary.

Public transport is 44% more expensive in Hungary.

Salaries are 36% higher in Hungary, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Hungary

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

7 h ahead of Hungary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,599,744

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hungary China 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hungary
China

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

Hungary vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,361 in Hungary, China comes out about 42% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $511 in Hungary and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.