Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Shantou $692
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Budapest $3,429

Shantou is about 57% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shantou sits 49% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.33

$13.94 Ft 4,517

-83.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-61.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.56

$10.19 Ft 3,302

-49.26%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.61

$3.26 Ft 1,058

3.68%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$2.14 Ft 693

-78.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.78 Ft 578

-82.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$3.71 Ft 1,202

-76.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.26

$3.77 Ft 1,221

-43.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$1.15 Ft 372

39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.79 Ft 579

-18.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.49 Ft 806

-69.08%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.32

$3.90 Ft 1,265

-56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.0

$11.10 Ft 3,599

22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.89

$6.62 Ft 2,146

-48.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥87.9

$14.69 Ft 4,761

-10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.83 Ft 593

6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.04

$2.05 Ft 663

-26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$2.37 Ft 768

-23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$3.90 Ft 1,264

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$0.99 Ft 321

-17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.10

$1.00 Ft 323

6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.58 Ft 513

-62.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.67 Ft 217

-35.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.69

$7.96 Ft 2,580

-53.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$6.22 Ft 2,015

92.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$1.27 Ft 412

-34.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.97

$2.03 Ft 657

-11.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$1.52 Ft 492

-76.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$28.02 Ft 9,082

-13.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$3.31 Ft 1,073

-53.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$1.37 Ft 444

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.82

$19.83 Ft 6,427

-63.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$1.82 Ft 590

-32.42%

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

$19.8K ¥132.3K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-33.57%

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

$18.0K ¥120.4K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-46.71%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$171 Ft 55.5K

-66.89%

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

$8.89 ¥59.4

$23.51 Ft 7,620

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.6

$23.29 Ft 7,550

-40.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,124

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.4

$9.30 Ft 3,013

-18.92%

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

$540 ¥3,610

$533 Ft 172.9K

1.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥161.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

44.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-44.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥488

$110 Ft 35.8K

-33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$119 Ft 38.6K

-23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,989

$830 Ft 269.2K

-64.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,010

$622 Ft 201.6K

-75.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,024

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

-62.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,967

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

-74.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-60.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

14.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,092

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

-35.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

6.45

-48.06%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 20.4% $44

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 311% $471

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 43.4% $51

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 159% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 175% $139

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 51.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 471% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou 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 56% 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $258 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

10:02 10:02 AM

6 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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 = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 16, 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shantou Budapest 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 134%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou 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 Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Shantou. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $540 per month in Shantou 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 Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – 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 Shantou. 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.