Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $775 per month in Surat Thani vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Surat Thani $775
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Surat Thani $1,414
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Surat Thani vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Surat Thani $2,053
Budapest $3,483

Surat Thani is about 53% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surat Thani sits 43% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-86.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-70.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-56.51%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-56.65%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$2.07 Ft 669

-75.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$1.77 Ft 572

-83.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-2.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.16 Ft 374

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$1.85 Ft 598

-35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$2.40 Ft 776

-51.25%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-53.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$11.40 Ft 3,683

68.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-51.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-48.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$1.88 Ft 607

54.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$2.14 Ft 693

-21.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$2.30 Ft 744

-23.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-49.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$1.02 Ft 329

27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$0.99 Ft 320

38.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.58 Ft 510

-29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$0.70 Ft 225

-41.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-61.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$6.18 Ft 1,997

205.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$1.24 Ft 401

24.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$2.06 Ft 666

-11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.59 Ft 513

-35.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-23.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-65.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$1.33 Ft 431

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-82.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.93 Ft 624

-39.90%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-8.60%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-21.45%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$175 Ft 56.4K

-58.23%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-26.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-29.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-40.19%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-56.06%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$535 Ft 172.9K

2.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-31.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-37.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-32.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$112 Ft 36.1K

-12.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$119 Ft 38.4K

-27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$832 Ft 268.8K

-71.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$629 Ft 203.3K

-76.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-27.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-40.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-61.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-64.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Budapest

$262 16% 7.2% $18

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 322% $480

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 36% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 119% $120

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 224% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 56.2% $32

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 49.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Surat Thani versus $832 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Surat Thani versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $262 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

5 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surat Thani Budapest 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

Surat Thani vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,163 per month in Surat Thani and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Surat Thani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $549 per month in Surat Thani and $535 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 Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surat Thani – 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 Surat Thani. 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.