Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaohsiung and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,108 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,108

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,108 per month in Kaohsiung vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,108
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Kaohsiung vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaohsiung $1,821
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,535 per month in Kaohsiung vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kaohsiung $2,535
Budapest $3,489

Kaohsiung is about 32% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kaohsiung sits 17% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 NT$174

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-60.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 NT$1,020

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-47.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 NT$155

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-51.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 NT$90.4

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-16.27%

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

$1.14 NT$36.40

$2.13 Ft 692

-46.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 NT$22.76

$1.87 Ft 608

-62.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NT$48.85

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 NT$81.5

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 NT$104

$1.13 Ft 368

187.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 NT$69.7

$1.84 Ft 599

19.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 NT$98.1

$2.39 Ft 777

28.45%

Eggs

$2.67 NT$85.2

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.13 NT$515

$11.33 Ft 3,686

42.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 NT$258

$6.74 Ft 2,192

19.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 NT$486

$14.69 Ft 4,780

3.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.80 NT$217

$1.84 Ft 597

269.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 NT$90.1

$2.01 Ft 653

40.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 NT$82.0

$2.36 Ft 767

8.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 NT$98.4

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-18.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NT$90.7

$0.96 Ft 313

195.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 NT$65.8

$1.03 Ft 334

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 NT$78.2

$1.56 Ft 509

57.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NT$33.18

$0.66 Ft 216

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 NT$145

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 NT$502

$6.01 Ft 1,954

161.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 NT$53.4

$1.30 Ft 421

28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 NT$71.7

$2.08 Ft 676

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 NT$21.68

$1.50 Ft 489

-54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.67 NT$404

$27.61 Ft 8,982

-54.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 NT$88.0

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.98

$1.30 Ft 424

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.51 NT$176

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-72.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.50

$1.81 Ft 591

-43.65%

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

$33.6K NT$1.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

14.71%

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

$23.0K NT$735.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-32.44%

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

$84.8 NT$2,705

$170 Ft 55.3K

-50.11%

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

$17.34 NT$553

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-27.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.77 NT$822

$23.42 Ft 7,621

10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 NT$1,315

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-37.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 NT$332

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-45.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 NT$350

$9.52 Ft 3,098

15.13%

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

$462 NT$14.7K

$537 Ft 174.6K

-13.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NT$449.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 NT$2,982

$101 Ft 33.0K

-7.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.88 NT$1,017

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 NT$2,740

$113 Ft 36.7K

-23.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,314

$119 Ft 38.6K

-12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 NT$13.2K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-48.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 NT$8,808

$629 Ft 204.7K

-56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 NT$31.2K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 NT$21.3K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-42.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,588 NT$146.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-18.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,154 NT$100.7K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-20.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 NT$46.7K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-10.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.56

6.43

-60.19%

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

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kaohsiung

$368 33.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.9% $110

Accommodation & Living

Kaohsiung

$276 24.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 128% $353

Clothing & Footwear

Kaohsiung

$142 12.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 19.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaohsiung

$128 11.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 70% $89

Eating Out

Kaohsiung

$112 10.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 99.5% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Kaohsiung

$63 5.7%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 35.1% $22

Getting Around

Kaohsiung

$22 2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 98.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Kaohsiung 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 11% higher in Budapest, 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 $32.00 in Kaohsiung versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $368 in Kaohsiung vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

08:26 8:26 AM

6 h behind Kaohsiung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,777,873

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.79 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

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Between locations

Kaohsiung Budapest 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaohsiung
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

Kaohsiung vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,661 per month in Kaohsiung 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 Kaohsiung, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 118% less in Kaohsiung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $462 per month in Kaohsiung and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kaohsiung, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kaohsiung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kaohsiung – 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 Kaohsiung. 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.