Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kulim and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Kulim vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Kulim $891
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $1,374 per month in Kulim vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Kulim $1,374
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $1,857 per month in Kulim vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Kulim $1,857
Budapest $3,467

Kulim is about 46% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kulim sits 35% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.21

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-73.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.45 MYR 79.5

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-68.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 MYR 18.50

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-55.41%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-10.25%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.20

$2.06 Ft 679

-62.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 MYR 1.71

$1.83 Ft 604

-77.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

$3.60 Ft 1,187

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MYR 18.82

$3.66 Ft 1,207

25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MYR 7.99

$1.19 Ft 392

64.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 MYR 5.02

$1.87 Ft 616

-34.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$2.37 Ft 779

-45.15%

Eggs

$2.23 MYR 9.10

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-43.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 MYR 51.8

$11.16 Ft 3,677

13.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 MYR 15.75

$6.76 Ft 2,226

-43.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.72 MYR 43.82

$14.35 Ft 4,727

-25.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MYR 12.46

$1.81 Ft 595

68.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MYR 7.71

$2.11 Ft 695

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MYR 10.40

$2.33 Ft 769

9.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.90

$3.80 Ft 1,253

-62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$0.99 Ft 327

20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MYR 5.55

$0.98 Ft 324

38.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 MYR 4.42

$1.55 Ft 511

-30.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MYR 2.16

$0.70 Ft 229

-24.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MYR 18.28

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-42.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 MYR 86.1

$6.05 Ft 1,993

247.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 MYR 12.53

$1.28 Ft 421

139.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MYR 15.95

$2.04 Ft 671

91.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.55 Ft 511

-51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 MYR 51.7

$27.28 Ft 8,987

-53.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 MYR 4.24

$3.30 Ft 1,086

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 MYR 2.29

$1.31 Ft 433

-57.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.26 MYR 33.75

$20.26 Ft 6,673

-59.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 MYR 3.01

$1.82 Ft 599

-59.34%

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

$48.9K MYR 199.7K

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

70.15%

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

$30.9K MYR 126.3K

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-6.56%

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

$45.19 MYR 185

$172 Ft 56.7K

-73.75%

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

$8.70 MYR 35.55

$23.95 Ft 7,890

-63.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.83 MYR 106

$23.31 Ft 7,679

10.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.10 MYR 148

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-47.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 MYR 30.13

$18.91 Ft 6,229

-61.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 MYR 18.22

$10.18 Ft 3,353

-56.19%

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

$268 MYR 1,094

$600 Ft 197.8K

-55.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,096 MYR 29.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-57.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 MYR 254

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-37.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.78 MYR 126

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 MYR 315

$113 Ft 37.2K

-31.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 290

$117 Ft 38.6K

-39.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 MYR 1,713

$836 Ft 275.4K

-49.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 MYR 1,082

$640 Ft 210.7K

-58.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 MYR 3,119

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

-52.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MYR 2,032

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-58.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,141 MYR 8,749

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

-61.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 MYR 5,200

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-66.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

6.45

-37.05%

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

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kulim

$265 29.7%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 142% $375

Groceries & Markets

Kulim

$262 29.4%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 1.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Kulim

$112 12.5%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 97.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Kulim

$108 12.2%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 54.5% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kulim

$80 9%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 175% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Kulim

$45 5.1%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 97.6% $44

Getting Around

Kulim

$19 2.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 123% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Kulim versus $836 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 $19 in Kulim versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Kulim vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kulim

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

7 h behind Kulim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

319,056

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.09 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kulim Budapest 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kulim
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

Kulim vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,336 per month in Kulim and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $836 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Kulim and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Kulim. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $891 in Kulim and $1,638 in Budapest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kulim – 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.