Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $794 per month in Miaoli vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Miaoli $794
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,109 per month in Miaoli vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Miaoli $1,109
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $1,425 per month in Miaoli vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Miaoli $1,425
Budapest $3,489

Miaoli is about 51% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Miaoli sits 41% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-82.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-60.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-52.91%

Cappuccino

$3.01 NT$96.1

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-10.95%

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

$0.86 NT$27.33

$2.13 Ft 692

-59.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$1.87 Ft 608

-71.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.22

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-67.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.36

$3.57 Ft 1,162

-61.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$1.13 Ft 368

138.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.79

$1.84 Ft 599

-32.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$2.39 Ft 777

13.81%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-42.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-18.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$6.74 Ft 2,192

11.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$14.69 Ft 4,780

48.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$1.84 Ft 597

103.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$2.01 Ft 653

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$2.36 Ft 767

29.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-18.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$0.96 Ft 313

157.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$1.03 Ft 334

98.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$1.56 Ft 509

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.78

$0.66 Ft 216

31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$129

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-48.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

$6.01 Ft 1,954

82.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.39

$1.30 Ft 421

14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$1.30 Ft 424

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-64.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.92

$1.81 Ft 591

-43.09%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

13.47%

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

$23.8K NT$758.4K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-30.32%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$170 Ft 55.3K

-59.42%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-4.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$9.52 Ft 3,098

15.23%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$537 Ft 174.6K

-3.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

91.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$101 Ft 33.0K

-87.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-41.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$113 Ft 36.7K

-43.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$119 Ft 38.6K

-16.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,917

$805 Ft 262.0K

-73.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,030

$629 Ft 204.7K

-74.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

53.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

6.43

-62.99%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 17.7% $55

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 299% $472

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 98.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 87.1% $79

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 166% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 289% $63

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 552% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $217 in Miaoli 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 54% higher in Miaoli, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Miaoli versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Miaoli vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

18:29 6:29 PM

6 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miaoli Budapest 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

Miaoli vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,191 per month in Miaoli 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 Miaoli, 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 $24.00 in Miaoli and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Miaoli, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Miaoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Miaoli – 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 Miaoli. 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.