Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Pohang vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Pohang $1,362
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Pohang vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Pohang $1,682
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,002 per month in Pohang vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Pohang $2,002
Budapest $3,429

Pohang is about 16% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Pohang and Budapest sit above the global median – Pohang by 1%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-57.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-63.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-36.02%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-7.36%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$2.14 Ft 690

-30.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$1.78 Ft 577

-70.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$3.77 Ft 1,217

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$1.15 Ft 371

105.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$1.79 Ft 578

81.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$2.49 Ft 804

-41.37%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

56.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

69.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$1.83 Ft 591

20.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$2.05 Ft 661

76.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.37 Ft 765

233.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-25.13%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$0.99 Ft 320

405.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$1.00 Ft 322

241.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$1.58 Ft 511

43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$0.67 Ft 216

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-58.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$6.22 Ft 2,009

4.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.27 Ft 411

20.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.03 Ft 654

71.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-0.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$1.37 Ft 442

-57.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.82 Ft 589

-31.87%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-1.07%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-16.01%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-40.19%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

54.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

15.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-55.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-60.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

22.37%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$533 Ft 172.3K

19.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

30.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

5.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

47.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-16.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-23.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

6.45

-34.57%

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

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 39.1% $175

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 33.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 31.7% $52

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 62.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 62.1% $33

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 616% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 36% higher in Pohang, 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 $23.00 in Pohang versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Pohang vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

21:51 9:51 PM

7 h behind Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohang Budapest 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
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

Pohang vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Pohang and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Pohang and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 49% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pohang, where all-in costs run around $1,362, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Pohang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pohang – 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 Pohang. 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.