Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Siem Reap
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$806
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Siem Reap $806
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Siem Reap vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Siem Reap $1,247
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,689 per month in Siem Reap vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Siem Reap $1,689
  • Budapest $3,429

Siem Reap is about 50% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Siem Reap sits 40% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.43 ៛9,884
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-82.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.16 ៛98.1K
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-60.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.81 ៛31.7K
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-23.36%
Cappuccino
$1.69 ៛6,857
$3.26 Ft 1,055
-48.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ៛2,854
$2.14 Ft 690
-67.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ៛1,746
$1.78 Ft 577
-75.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.02 ៛4,148
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-72.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ៛8,045
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-47.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ៛8,687
$1.15 Ft 371
86.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.76 ៛7,159
$1.79 Ft 578
-1.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 ៛3,540
$2.49 Ft 804
-65.06%
Eggs
$1.72 ៛6,979
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-55.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.24 ៛61.9K
$11.10 Ft 3,587
37.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 ៛11.5K
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-57.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.20 ៛41.5K
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-30.57%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 ៛17.6K
$1.83 Ft 591
136.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 ៛5,008
$2.05 Ft 661
-40.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.68 ៛14.9K
$2.37 Ft 765
55.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.09 ៛4,431
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-72.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 ៛5,415
$0.99 Ft 320
34.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 ៛4,534
$1.00 Ft 322
12.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 ៛5,262
$1.58 Ft 511
-17.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ៛3,227
$0.67 Ft 216
17.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.41 ៛5,709
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-82.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.75 ៛31.5K
$6.22 Ft 2,009
24.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ៛4,051
$1.27 Ft 411
-21.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ៛9,162
$2.03 Ft 654
11.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 ៛3,949
$1.52 Ft 490
-36.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.14 ៛61.5K
$28.02 Ft 9,053
-45.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 ៛8,169
$3.31 Ft 1,070
-39.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ៛4,103
$1.37 Ft 442
-26.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.99 ៛20.3K
$19.83 Ft 6,406
-74.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ៛5,310
$1.82 Ft 589
-28.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.8K ៛100.7M
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-16.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K ៛92.2M
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-32.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 ៛417.4K
$171 Ft 55.3K
-39.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.82 ៛23.6K
$23.51 Ft 7,596
-75.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.37 ៛62.4K
$23.29 Ft 7,526
-34.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.20 ៛134.8K
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-50.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.27 ៛57.9K
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-24.46%
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 ៛20.2K
$9.30 Ft 3,004
-46.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$283 ៛1.2M
$533 Ft 172.3K
-46.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,488 ៛18.2M
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-73.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.69 ៛108.4K
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-73.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.31 ៛54.0K
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-69.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.5 ៛278.3K
$110 Ft 35.7K
-37.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$45.31 ៛184.1K
$119 Ft 38.4K
-61.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$329 ៛1.3M
$830 Ft 268.3K
-60.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 ៛940.8K
$622 Ft 200.9K
-62.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$669 ៛2.7M
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-58.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$434 ៛1.8M
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-62.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,454 ៛10.0M
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-57.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,099 ៛4.5M
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-71.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Siem Reap
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$239 ៛969.1K
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-85.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.2
6.45
42.64%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Siem Reap
$235
Budapest
$258 9.7% $23
Accommodation & Living
Siem Reap
$232
Budapest
$622 169% $390
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Siem Reap
$124
Budapest
$218 75.8% $94
Eating Out
Siem Reap
$77
Budapest
$223 191% $146
Clothing & Footwear
Siem Reap
$69
Budapest
$168 142% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Siem Reap
$43
Budapest
$86 99.6% $43
Getting Around
Siem Reap
$26
Budapest
$44 69.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Siem Reap 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 592% 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 Siem Reap versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $258 – making Siem Reap the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Siem Reap
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
14:49 2:49 PM
09:49 9:49 AM
5 h behind Siem Reap
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
171,800
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Siem Reap Budapest 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Siem Reap
  • 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
Siem Reap vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Siem Reap?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 101%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Siem Reap and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Siem Reap, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 85% less in Siem Reap. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Siem Reap and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Siem Reap or in Budapest?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Siem Reap it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Siem Reap or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Siem Reap – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Siem Reap or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Siem Reap. 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.

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