Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaesong and Budapest

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kaesong

🇰🇵 North Korea

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,570

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,255

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,105

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

$2.13 Ft 696

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 611

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,226

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,167

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 370

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 602

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 780

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,250

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,702

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,201

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,800

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 600

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 656

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 770

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,232

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 315

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 336

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 511

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 217

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,602

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,963

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 423

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 679

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 491

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 9,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,079

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 426

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,465

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 593

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

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)

$170 Ft 55.5K

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

$23.98 Ft 7,836

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,654

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,266

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,112

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

$537 Ft 175.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 263.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 205.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

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)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

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 Kaesong: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Groceries & Markets

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Eating Out

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Getting Around

Kaesong

–

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Good to know

🇰🇵 Kaesong

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

7 h behind Kaesong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

308,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

HUF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kaesong Budapest 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaesong
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

Kaesong vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Families tend to lean toward Kaesong – 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 Kaesong. 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.