Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yiwu and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $550 per month in Yiwu vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Yiwu $550
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,286 per month in Yiwu vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Yiwu $1,286
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,022 per month in Yiwu vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Yiwu $2,022
Budapest $3,429

Yiwu is about 66% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yiwu sits 59% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.54

$13.94 Ft 4,525

-79.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.38 ¥196

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-52.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥34.31

$10.19 Ft 3,307

-49.66%

Cappuccino

$3.29 ¥22.01

$3.26 Ft 1,060

0.92%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$2.14 Ft 694

-71.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.78 Ft 579

-78.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.19

$3.71 Ft 1,204

-67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.22

$3.77 Ft 1,223

-39.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$1.15 Ft 372

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$1.79 Ft 580

9.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.58

$2.49 Ft 808

-60.64%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.26

$3.90 Ft 1,267

-56.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.54 ¥117

$11.10 Ft 3,605

58.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$6.62 Ft 2,149

-49.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 ¥87.9

$14.69 Ft 4,769

-10.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ¥14.29

$1.83 Ft 594

16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ¥11.68

$2.05 Ft 664

-14.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.05

$2.37 Ft 769

-17.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.90 Ft 1,266

-57.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.99 Ft 322

-17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.00 Ft 323

-6.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$1.58 Ft 514

-60.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.67 Ft 217

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.10

$7.96 Ft 2,585

-52.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.78 ¥72.1

$6.22 Ft 2,019

73.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.56

$1.27 Ft 413

-34.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$2.03 Ft 658

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$1.52 Ft 492

-71.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.73

$3.31 Ft 1,075

-60.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$1.37 Ft 444

-68.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 ¥59.4

$19.83 Ft 6,438

-55.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$1.82 Ft 591

-30.22%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-34.33%

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

$18.6K ¥124.3K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-45.04%

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

$57.4 ¥384

$171 Ft 55.6K

-66.44%

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

$8.10 ¥54.2

$23.51 Ft 7,634

-65.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.41 ¥69.6

$23.29 Ft 7,563

-55.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-78.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 ¥75.8

$18.89 Ft 6,135

-39.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ¥48.25

$9.30 Ft 3,019

-22.37%

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

$1,430 ¥9,566

$533 Ft 173.2K

168.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K ¥182.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

62.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ¥361

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-45.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 ¥252

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-13.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 ¥514

$110 Ft 35.8K

-30.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ¥491

$119 Ft 38.6K

-38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ¥2,985

$830 Ft 269.6K

-46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 ¥7,041

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

-33.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 ¥4,901

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

-37.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K ¥78.7K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

101.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥19.5K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-24.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 ¥5,000

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

-54.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.45

-47.91%

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

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yiwu

$238 43.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 8.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Yiwu

$109 19.8%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 54% $59

Eating Out

Yiwu

$93 16.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 140% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yiwu

$76 13.8%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 187% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Yiwu

$29 5.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 195% $57

Getting Around

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 751% $39

Accommodation & Living

Yiwu

- * 0%

Budapest

$622 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $446 in Yiwu 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 121% 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 $29.00 in Yiwu versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $258 – making Yiwu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

08:30 8:30 AM

6 h behind Yiwu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,015

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 = 3.08 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yiwu Budapest 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Yiwu
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

Yiwu vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 194%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $825 per month in Yiwu 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 Yiwu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Yiwu and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yiwu, where all-in costs run around $550, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Yiwu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yiwu – 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 Yiwu. 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.