Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,543 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Jump to prices
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: South Korea is 13.5% more expensive than Budapest without rent, and 4.8% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 9% more expensive than Budapest without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.67 ₩10.3K
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-45.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 ₩60.6K
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-25.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ₩8,617
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-35.44%
Cappuccino
$3.92 ₩5,254
$3.38 Ft 1,100
15.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,194
$2.13 Ft 692
-23.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,115
$1.87 Ft 608
-55.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 ₩4,863
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-3.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₩6,098
$3.57 Ft 1,162
27.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₩2,804
$1.13 Ft 368
84.96%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₩4,051
$1.84 Ft 599
64.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,534
$2.39 Ft 777
41.42%
Eggs
$3.22 ₩4,311
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-15.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.53 ₩18.1K
$11.33 Ft 3,686
19.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 ₩11.8K
$6.74 Ft 2,192
30.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.06 ₩34.9K
$14.69 Ft 4,780
77.40%
Apples (1kg)
$8.59 ₩11.5K
$1.84 Ft 597
366.85%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,535
$2.01 Ft 653
68.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.23 ₩8,345
$2.36 Ft 767
163.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ₩8,166
$3.77 Ft 1,226
61.54%
Potato (1kg)
$3.97 ₩5,319
$0.96 Ft 313
313.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ₩3,645
$1.03 Ft 334
164.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 ₩3,484
$1.56 Ft 509
66.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₩1,608
$0.66 Ft 216
81.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₩4,531
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-57.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.90 ₩21.3K
$6.01 Ft 1,954
164.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₩2,706
$1.30 Ft 421
55.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₩3,866
$2.08 Ft 676
38.94%
🚌 Getting Around
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,529
$1.50 Ft 489
-24.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.85 ₩62.8K
$27.61 Ft 8,982
69.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ₩4,599
$3.30 Ft 1,074
3.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩860
$1.30 Ft 424
-50.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$19.78 Ft 6,436
-53.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₩1,852
$1.81 Ft 591
-23.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩39.9M
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
1.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₩40.1M
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-12.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ₩275.7K
$170 Ft 55.3K
21.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.21 ₩52.5K
$23.98 Ft 7,802
63.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.22 ₩31.1K
$23.42 Ft 7,621
-0.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₩70.7K
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-20.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.59 ₩22.2K
$19.18 Ft 6,239
-13.50%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.7K
$9.52 Ft 3,098
15.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$906 ₩1.2M
$537 Ft 174.6K
68.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₩31.2M
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
40.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₩76.0K
$101 Ft 33.0K
-44.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.14 ₩57.8K
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
0.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 ₩106.6K
$113 Ft 36.7K
-29.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ₩128.8K
$119 Ft 38.6K
-19.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 ₩794.3K
$805 Ft 262.0K
-26.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₩566.8K
$629 Ft 204.7K
-32.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 ₩2.1M
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-1.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$922 ₩1.2M
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
-20.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.5K ₩22.1M
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
193.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,341 ₩11.2M
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
110.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Korea
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,293 ₩3.1M
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
41.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
6.43
-34.21%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
South Korea
$449
Budapest
$258 42.6% $191
Accommodation & Living
South Korea
$423
Budapest
$629 48.7% $206
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
$268
Budapest
$217 19% $51
Eating Out
South Korea
$165
Budapest
$224 36.1% $59
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
$124
Budapest
$169 36.4% $45
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
$75
Budapest
$85 14.1% $11
Getting Around
South Korea
$58
Budapest
$43 25.2% $15
Good to know
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
21:25 9:25 PM
14:25 2:25 PM
7 h behind South Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,466,201
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
South Korean Won KRW ₩
Hungarian Forint HUF Ft
📈 Exchange rate
10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD
10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR
1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD
1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 KRW in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • South Korea Budapest 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • South Korea
  • 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

South Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$481
/mo nomad
Show more

Similar countries

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size Current Prices by City Current Prices by Country World Clock Currency Converter
Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?