Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,395 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,395 per month in Taipei vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Taipei $1,395
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,227 per month in Taipei vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Taipei $2,227
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,059 per month in Taipei vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Taipei $3,059
Budapest $3,489

Taipei is about 14% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taipei and Budapest sit above the global median – Taipei by 4%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.76 NT$152

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-65.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.18 NT$1,538

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-20.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 NT$184

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-42.27%

Cappuccino

$3.49 NT$112

$3.38 Ft 1,102

3.25%

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

$0.88 NT$28.04

$2.13 Ft 693

-58.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 NT$20.62

$1.87 Ft 609

-65.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$91.4

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 NT$117

$3.57 Ft 1,163

2.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$98.6

$1.13 Ft 369

173.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 NT$65.5

$1.84 Ft 600

11.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 NT$97.6

$2.39 Ft 777

28.03%

Eggs

$2.70 NT$86.1

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-29.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.66 NT$628

$11.33 Ft 3,689

73.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 NT$314

$6.74 Ft 2,194

45.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$674

$14.69 Ft 4,784

43.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 NT$162

$1.84 Ft 598

176.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 NT$108

$2.01 Ft 654

68.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$95.9

$2.36 Ft 767

27.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 NT$146

$3.77 Ft 1,227

20.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.8

$0.96 Ft 314

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NT$72.9

$1.03 Ft 335

121.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$53.7

$1.56 Ft 509

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$36.82

$0.66 Ft 216

74.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 NT$129

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-49.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.32 NT$457

$6.01 Ft 1,956

138.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 NT$54.2

$1.30 Ft 422

30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$73.0

$2.08 Ft 677

10.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.47

$1.50 Ft 490

-59.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 NT$1,228

$27.61 Ft 8,991

39.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 NT$87.0

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-17.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$24.03

$1.30 Ft 424

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 NT$306

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-51.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.57

$1.81 Ft 591

-43.65%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

16.22%

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

$24.2K NT$772.3K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-29.08%

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

$86.4 NT$2,757

$170 Ft 55.3K

-49.18%

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

$17.12 NT$547

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-28.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.06 NT$864

$23.42 Ft 7,628

15.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 NT$1,302

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-38.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.04 NT$512

$19.18 Ft 6,245

-16.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 NT$307

$9.52 Ft 3,101

1.16%

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

$656 NT$20.9K

$537 Ft 174.8K

22.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$524.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 NT$2,002

$101 Ft 33.0K

-38.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.50 NT$1,261

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 NT$2,678

$113 Ft 36.7K

-25.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,393

$119 Ft 38.7K

-10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 NT$32.4K

$805 Ft 262.2K

26.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 NT$15.3K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-23.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,568 NT$50.1K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

1.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 NT$30.4K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-18.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K NT$389.4K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

117.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,207 NT$230.1K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

81.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,772 NT$56.6K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

8.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

6.43

-62.67%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$479 34.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 31.5% $151

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$401 29.2%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 35.8% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$132 9.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 28.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$131 9.5%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 66.5% $87

Eating Out

Taipei

$125 9.1%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 79.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 42.1% $25

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 8.4% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,016 in Taipei versus $805 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 9% higher in Taipei, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Taipei versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Taipei vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

6 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.79 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.92 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.81 TWD (100 TWD = 2.79 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Budapest 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
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

Taipei vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,092 per month in Taipei and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Taipei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $656 per month in Taipei and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,395, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.