Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,083 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Koh Lipe outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,083

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,083 per month in Koh Lipe vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Lipe $2,083
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,633 per month in Koh Lipe vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Lipe $3,633
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,183 per month in Koh Lipe vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Lipe $5,183
Budapest $3,489

Koh Lipe costs about 28% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Koh Lipe and Budapest sit above the global median – Koh Lipe by 55%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.32 ฿245

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-47.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.6 ฿1,761

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-12.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.01 ฿469

$9.96 Ft 3,241

40.66%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ฿146

$3.38 Ft 1,100

28.70%

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

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.13 Ft 692

-29.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ฿26.36

$1.87 Ft 608

-57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 ฿135

$3.75 Ft 1,221

7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 ฿194

$3.57 Ft 1,162

62.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿71.8

$1.13 Ft 368

89.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ฿57.9

$1.84 Ft 599

-5.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$2.39 Ft 777

-17.57%

Eggs

$2.69 ฿90.0

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-29.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.13 ฿808

$11.33 Ft 3,686

112.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-38.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ฿467

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.84 Ft 597

100.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$2.01 Ft 653

1.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ฿94.5

$2.36 Ft 767

19.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 ฿85.7

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-32.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.4

$0.96 Ft 313

87.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ฿57.4

$1.03 Ft 334

66.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ฿46.15

$1.56 Ft 509

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ฿21.26

$0.66 Ft 216

-3.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 ฿182

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-31.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.53 ฿788

$6.01 Ft 1,954

291.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.30 Ft 421

67.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ฿116

$2.08 Ft 676

67.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 ฿115

$1.50 Ft 489

128.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 ฿151

$3.30 Ft 1,074

36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ฿53.2

$1.30 Ft 424

22.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.78 ฿194

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-70.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.81 Ft 591

19.89%

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

$40.8K ฿1.4M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

39.26%

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

$39.7K ฿1.3M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

16.39%

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

$113 ฿3,775

$170 Ft 55.3K

-33.65%

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

$12.76 ฿427

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-46.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 ฿649

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ฿2,171

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-2.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.63 ฿456

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-28.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.39 ฿314

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-1.37%

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

$690 ฿23.1K

$537 Ft 174.6K

28.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿485.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-12.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 ฿2,238

$101 Ft 33.0K

-34.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 ฿1,001

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-30.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 ฿3,329

$113 Ft 36.7K

-11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ฿3,099

$119 Ft 38.6K

-22.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ฿61.9K

$805 Ft 262.0K

129.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ฿39.2K

$629 Ft 204.7K

85.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,267 ฿176.3K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

239.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,976 ฿99.6K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

154.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,743 ฿292.7K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

55.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 ฿212.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

60.16%

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 Lipe: 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

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 46.2% $541

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lipe

$334 16%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 22.8% $76

Eating Out

Koh Lipe

$194 9.3%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 15.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lipe

$145 7%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 50% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lipe

$130 6.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 30.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lipe

$84 4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 2% $1.7

Getting Around

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 66.1% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,850 in Koh Lipe 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 $53.0 in Koh Lipe versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $334 in Koh Lipe vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

07:00 7:00 AM

5 h behind Koh Lipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

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 Lipe Budapest 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Koh Lipe is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,124 per month in Koh Lipe 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53.0 in Koh Lipe 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 30% more in Koh Lipe, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Koh Lipe at $2,083. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Lipe 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, Koh Lipe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.