Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota Kinabalu: $917 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kota Kinabalu
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Kota Kinabalu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kota Kinabalu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$917

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $917 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $917
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,429 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $1,429
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,941 per month in Kota Kinabalu vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kota Kinabalu $1,941
Budapest $3,489

Kota Kinabalu is about 43% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kota Kinabalu sits 32% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.59

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-74.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.54 MYR 79.8

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-67.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 MYR 20.09

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-50.60%

Cappuccino

$2.63 MYR 10.74

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-22.19%

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

$0.60 MYR 2.44

$2.13 Ft 692

-71.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.22

$1.87 Ft 608

-83.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-36.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 MYR 15.27

$3.57 Ft 1,162

4.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MYR 7.11

$1.13 Ft 368

53.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 MYR 5.23

$1.84 Ft 599

-30.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$2.39 Ft 777

-5.44%

Eggs

$3.46 MYR 14.13

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-9.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$28.33 MYR 116

$11.33 Ft 3,686

150.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 MYR 15.05

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-45.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 MYR 27.27

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-54.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 MYR 9.15

$1.84 Ft 597

21.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MYR 5.84

$2.01 Ft 653

-28.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MYR 7.91

$2.36 Ft 767

-17.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 MYR 8.13

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-47.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 MYR 6.81

$0.96 Ft 313

73.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 MYR 8.71

$1.03 Ft 334

106.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 MYR 3.84

$1.56 Ft 509

-39.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$0.66 Ft 216

-28.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 MYR 20.10

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-38.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 MYR 64.7

$6.01 Ft 1,954

163.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.63 MYR 14.81

$1.30 Ft 421

179.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 MYR 10.07

$2.08 Ft 676

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 MYR 7.80

$1.50 Ft 489

27.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.92 MYR 171

$27.61 Ft 8,982

51.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MYR 7.82

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 MYR 0.94

$1.30 Ft 424

-82.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 MYR 3.11

$1.81 Ft 591

-58.01%

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

$42.1K MYR 172.1K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

43.69%

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

$35.6K MYR 145.5K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

4.47%

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

$70.5 MYR 288

$170 Ft 55.3K

-58.53%

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

$9.69 MYR 39.56

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-59.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 MYR 132

$23.42 Ft 7,621

38.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 MYR 214

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.09 MYR 12.64

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-83.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 MYR 21.31

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-45.17%

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

$141 MYR 575

$537 Ft 174.6K

-73.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 MYR 28.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-57.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 MYR 333

$101 Ft 33.0K

-19.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 MYR 150

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 MYR 382

$113 Ft 36.7K

-16.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.75 MYR 199

$119 Ft 38.6K

-58.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 MYR 1,735

$805 Ft 262.0K

-47.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 MYR 788

$629 Ft 204.7K

-69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 MYR 2,771

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

-56.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 MYR 1,501

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-68.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,848 MYR 7,546

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-67.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 MYR 4,489

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-72.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 MYR 2,419

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-63.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

6.43

-39.35%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: 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

Kota Kinabalu

$288 31.1%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 10.4% $30

Accommodation & Living

Kota Kinabalu

$193 20.9%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 226% $436

Clothing & Footwear

Kota Kinabalu

$117 12.7%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 44.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kota Kinabalu

$113 12.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 93.1% $105

Eating Out

Kota Kinabalu

$98 10.6%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 129% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Kota Kinabalu

$63 6.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 35.9% $23

Getting Around

Kota Kinabalu

$53 5.7%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 17.5% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Kota Kinabalu 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 174% 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 $20.00 in Kota Kinabalu versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Kota Kinabalu vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

6 h behind Kota Kinabalu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,425

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kota Kinabalu Budapest 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kota Kinabalu
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

Kota Kinabalu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,375 per month in Kota Kinabalu 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 Kota Kinabalu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Kota Kinabalu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $141 per month in Kota Kinabalu and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kota Kinabalu, where all-in costs run around $917, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kota Kinabalu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kota Kinabalu – 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 Kota Kinabalu. 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.