Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Medan vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Medan $613
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $940 per month in Medan vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Medan $940
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Medan vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Medan $1,266
Budapest $3,429

Medan is about 62% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medan sits 55% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-87.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-86.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-71.05%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-53.07%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$2.14 Ft 690

-83.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$1.78 Ft 577

-85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-4.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.15 Ft 371

-3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.79 Ft 578

-34.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$2.49 Ft 804

-67.47%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-66.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-26.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-45.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-56.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$1.83 Ft 591

31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$2.05 Ft 661

-48.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$2.37 Ft 765

-40.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-76.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.99 Ft 320

-15.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$1.00 Ft 322

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$1.58 Ft 511

-75.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.67 Ft 216

-34.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-63.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

152.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$1.27 Ft 411

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

$2.03 Ft 654

48.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$1.52 Ft 490

-82.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-78.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-84.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$1.37 Ft 442

-86.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.82 Ft 589

-56.04%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-17.21%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-4.72%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$171 Ft 55.3K

-50.42%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-86.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-74.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-55.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-64.62%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$533 Ft 172.3K

-79.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-89.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-45.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-11.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$110 Ft 35.7K

-2.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$119 Ft 38.4K

-6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$830 Ft 268.3K

-71.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$622 Ft 200.9K

-85.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-68.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-81.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-80.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-85.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-86.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

6.45

43.41%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 42.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 19.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 95.3% $106

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 593% $532

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 280% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 266% $63

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 422% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Medan versus $830 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 667% 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 $8.00 in Medan versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $258 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

00:11 12:11 AM

5 h behind Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medan Budapest 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

Medan vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $920 per month in Medan and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 373% less in Medan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Medan and $533 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 Medan, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Medan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medan – 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 Medan. 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.