Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Selangor vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Selangor $1,020
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,469 per month in Selangor vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Selangor $1,469
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Selangor vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Selangor $1,918
Budapest $3,429

Selangor is about 37% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Selangor sits 24% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-68.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-68.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-60.35%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-30.67%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$2.14 Ft 690

-63.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.78 Ft 577

-73.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.71 Ft 1,198

19.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$3.77 Ft 1,217

31.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.15 Ft 371

67.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$1.79 Ft 578

-41.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$2.49 Ft 804

-38.55%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-50.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$11.10 Ft 3,587

28.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-34.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$1.83 Ft 591

87.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$2.05 Ft 661

-10.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.37 Ft 765

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-59.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$0.99 Ft 320

35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.00 Ft 322

3.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.58 Ft 511

-29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$0.67 Ft 216

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-43.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$6.22 Ft 2,009

213.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$1.27 Ft 411

182.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$2.03 Ft 654

139.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.52 Ft 490

-21.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-56.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-62.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$1.37 Ft 442

-8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-78.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.82 Ft 589

-59.89%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

40.64%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

4.26%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$171 Ft 55.3K

-62.97%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-63.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$23.29 Ft 7,526

11.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-39.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-63.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-45.70%

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

$122 MYR 499

$533 Ft 172.3K

-77.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-57.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-28.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$110 Ft 35.7K

-30.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$119 Ft 38.4K

-30.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$830 Ft 268.3K

-38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$622 Ft 200.9K

-44.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-44.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-58.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-81.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-38.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

6.45

-38.60%

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

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Selangor

$346 34%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 79.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 3.1% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 36.8% $45

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 101% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 123% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 68.3% $35

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 80.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Selangor 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 62% 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 $19.00 in Selangor versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Selangor vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

6 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Selangor Budapest 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
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

Selangor vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Selangor 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 Selangor, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 129% less in Selangor. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $122 per month in Selangor and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Selangor – 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 Selangor. 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.