Cost of Living · CN vs HU
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇭🇺 Budapest: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,074 in Hungary — 6.19% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Hungary
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 1.39%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 1.99%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 2%
Closest to China prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +7.17%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +7.17%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +7.17%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Hungary | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $697 (246,064 HUF) | +7.17% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $557 (196,851 HUF) | +7.17% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $1,274 (449,943 HUF) | +7.17% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $8.73 (3,083 HUF) | +5.56% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $36.38 (12,847 HUF) | +5.6% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $5.70 (2,013 HUF) | +5.17% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.65 (230 HUF) | +4.84% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $1.89 (667 HUF) | +3.85% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.01 (710 HUF) | +4.15% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $5.91 (2,087 HUF) | +4.05% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $2.36 (833 HUF) | +3.96% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $2.84 (1,003 HUF) | +4.03% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $7.09 (2,504 HUF) | +4.11% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.18 (417 HUF) | +3.51% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $2.91 (1,028 HUF) | +5.43% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $6.15 (2,172 HUF) | +1.99% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $2.43 (858 HUF) | +5.65% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.36 (480 HUF) | +3.82% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $33.67 (11,890 HUF) | +5.05% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $1.42 (501 HUF) | +4.41% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $1.94 (685 HUF) | +5.43% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $0.87 (307 HUF) | +4.82% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.73 (258 HUF) | +1.39% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $104 (36,585 HUF) | +5.07% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $36.26 (12,805 HUF) | +5.07% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $23.31 (8,232 HUF) | +5.05% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $24.25 (8,564 HUF) | +5.57% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $6.79 (2,398 HUF) | +5.6% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $14.55 (5,138 HUF) | +5.59% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $42.28 (14,931 HUF) | +2% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $69.18 (24,430 HUF) | +2.01% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $121 (42,822 HUF) | +5.6% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Hungary than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,074 in Hungary versus $1,011 in China — 6.19% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Hungary?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.91 in Hungary (≈ 1027.64 HUF), versus about $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Hungary compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $697/month in Hungary versus $650/month in China (+7.17%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.