Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunshan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $710 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
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Kunshan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Kunshan vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Kunshan $710
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Kunshan vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Kunshan $1,135
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,561 per month in Kunshan vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Kunshan $1,561
Budapest $3,489

Kunshan is about 56% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kunshan sits 47% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.47

$13.99 Ft 4,570

-80.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.37 ¥143

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-64.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.96

$9.96 Ft 3,255

-52.01%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥20.28

$3.38 Ft 1,105

-10.36%

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

$0.46 ¥3.09

$2.13 Ft 696

-78.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.87 Ft 611

-84.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$3.75 Ft 1,226

-74.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.32

$3.57 Ft 1,167

-40.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$1.13 Ft 370

63.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.84 Ft 602

-15.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$2.39 Ft 780

-60.67%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.78

$3.83 Ft 1,250

-57.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 ¥86.9

$11.33 Ft 3,702

14.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$6.74 Ft 2,201

-51.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 ¥69.4

$14.69 Ft 4,800

-29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$1.84 Ft 600

-1.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.98

$2.01 Ft 656

-40.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$2.36 Ft 770

-37.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$3.77 Ft 1,232

-71.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.96 Ft 315

-27.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.03 Ft 336

-4.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.56 Ft 511

-64.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$0.66 Ft 217

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.15

$7.96 Ft 2,602

-60.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$6.01 Ft 1,963

78.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$1.30 Ft 423

-43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$2.08 Ft 679

-23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.50 Ft 491

-82.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.00 ¥114

$27.61 Ft 9,021

-38.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$3.30 Ft 1,079

-57.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$1.30 Ft 426

-74.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 ¥45.12

$19.78 Ft 6,465

-65.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$1.81 Ft 593

-34.81%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-32.54%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-49.05%

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

$44.30 ¥296

$170 Ft 55.5K

-73.93%

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

$9.92 ¥66.3

$23.98 Ft 7,836

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.65 ¥77.9

$23.42 Ft 7,654

-50.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 ¥278

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-37.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.4

$19.18 Ft 6,266

-28.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.04

$9.52 Ft 3,112

-37.08%

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

$331 ¥2,211

$537 Ft 175.4K

-38.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.6K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

0.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.98 ¥287

$101 Ft 33.1K

-57.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.88 ¥200

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-30.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$113 Ft 36.8K

-36.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ¥481

$119 Ft 38.8K

-39.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,824

$805 Ft 263.1K

-66.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,310

$629 Ft 205.6K

-68.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥4,017

$1,549 Ft 506.3K

-61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,376

$1,167 Ft 381.4K

-69.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,052 ¥20.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-45.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 ¥13.6K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-48.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 531.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

6.43

-39.50%

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

Last update for Kunshan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kunshan

$199 27.7%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.4% $59

Accommodation & Living

Kunshan

$196 27.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 221% $433

Clothing & Footwear

Kunshan

$98 13.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 73.3% $72

Eating Out

Kunshan

$85 11.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 164% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kunshan

$66 9.2%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 230% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Kunshan

$54 7.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 59% $32

Getting Around

Kunshan

$21 2.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 106% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $273 in Kunshan 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 $21.00 in Kunshan versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $258 – making Kunshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

09:48 9:48 AM

6 h behind Kunshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,092,496

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.06 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Kunshan Budapest 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kunshan
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

Kunshan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,065 per month in Kunshan 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 Kunshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Kunshan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $331 per month in Kunshan and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kunshan, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Kunshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kunshan – 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 Kunshan. 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.