Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $965 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Koh Chang vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Chang $965
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,583 per month in Koh Chang vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,583
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,200 per month in Koh Chang vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Chang $2,200
Budapest $3,489

Koh Chang is about 40% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Koh Chang sits 28% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ฿121

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-74.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.36 ฿883

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-56.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.99 ฿234

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-29.82%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-33.14%

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

$0.77 ฿25.91

$2.13 Ft 692

-63.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.29

$1.87 Ft 608

-78.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ฿68.4

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-15.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.13 Ft 368

31.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿44.00

$1.84 Ft 599

-28.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.17

$2.39 Ft 777

-41.00%

Eggs

$1.96 ฿65.8

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-48.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 ฿590

$11.33 Ft 3,686

55.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.00 ฿101

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-55.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 ฿323

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-34.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿89.8

$1.84 Ft 597

45.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$2.01 Ft 653

-24.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$2.36 Ft 767

-12.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.4

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.44

$0.96 Ft 313

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.81

$1.03 Ft 334

15.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿33.88

$1.56 Ft 509

-35.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.64

$0.66 Ft 216

-24.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ฿133

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-50.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 ฿556

$6.01 Ft 1,954

176.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ฿55.1

$1.30 Ft 421

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ฿86.9

$2.08 Ft 676

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$1.50 Ft 489

22.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.4

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-26.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 ฿27.40

$1.30 Ft 424

-36.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ฿99.7

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-84.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ฿39.79

$1.81 Ft 591

-34.25%

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

$21.1K ฿707.5K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-27.94%

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

$21.5K ฿720.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-36.87%

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

$94.2 ฿3,152

$170 Ft 55.3K

-44.60%

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

$10.67 ฿357

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-55.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.43 ฿550

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-29.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.74 ฿1,498

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-32.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 ฿307

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-52.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 ฿217

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-32.04%

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

$491 ฿16.4K

$537 Ft 174.6K

-8.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ฿351.2K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-36.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 ฿2,016

$101 Ft 33.0K

-40.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.51 ฿921

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,026

$113 Ft 36.7K

-19.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 ฿2,758

$119 Ft 38.6K

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ฿15.8K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-41.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ฿10.1K

$629 Ft 204.7K

-51.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 ฿44.7K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-13.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ฿26.6K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-31.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,276 ฿76.2K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-59.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,651 ฿55.3K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-58.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.43

-13.37%

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

Last update for Koh Chang: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Chang

$303 31.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 108% $326

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$242 25.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 6.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 12.7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 79.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$117 12.3%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 44.3% $52

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$98 10.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 129% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$58 6.1%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 47.8% $28

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 214% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Koh Chang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Koh Chang versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $258 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

5 h behind Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Chang Budapest 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
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

Koh Chang vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,448 per month in Koh Chang 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 Koh Chang, 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 $26.00 in Koh Chang and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Chang, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Koh Chang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Koh Chang – 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 Koh Chang. 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.