Cost of Living · HU vs TH
🇭🇺 Budapest vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,074 in Hungary vs $706 in Thailand — 34.28% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -38.51%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -38.51%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -38.51%
Closest to Hungary prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -12.33%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -12.97%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -12.98%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Hungary | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $697 | $428 (14,089 THB) | -38.51% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $557 | $343 (11,271 THB) | -38.51% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,274 | $783 (25,763 THB) | -38.51% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.73 | $5.96 (196 THB) | -31.73% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $36.38 | $24.83 (816 THB) | -31.75% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.70 | $4.03 (133 THB) | -29.3% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.65 | $0.49 (16 THB) | -24.62% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.89 | $1.43 (47 THB) | -24.34% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.01 | $1.52 (50 THB) | -24.38% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.91 | $4.47 (147 THB) | -24.37% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.36 | $1.79 (59 THB) | -24.15% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.84 | $2.15 (71 THB) | -24.3% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.09 | $5.37 (177 THB) | -24.26% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.18 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -24.58% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.91 | $1.99 (65 THB) | -31.62% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.15 | $5.35 (176 THB) | -13.01% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.43 | $1.66 (55 THB) | -31.69% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.36 | $1.03 (34 THB) | -24.26% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $33.67 | $23.79 (782 THB) | -29.34% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.42 | $1.01 (33 THB) | -28.87% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.94 | $1.32 (43 THB) | -31.96% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.87 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -31.03% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.73 | $0.64 (21 THB) | -12.33% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $104 | $73.20 (2,407 THB) | -29.34% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $36.26 | $25.62 (842 THB) | -29.34% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $23.31 | $16.47 (542 THB) | -29.34% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $24.25 | $16.55 (544 THB) | -31.75% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.79 | $4.63 (152 THB) | -31.81% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $14.55 | $9.93 (327 THB) | -31.75% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $42.28 | $36.79 (1,210 THB) | -12.98% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $69.18 | $60.21 (1,980 THB) | -12.97% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $121 | $82.75 (2,721 THB) | -31.76% |
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 cheaper is Thailand than Hungary?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $706 in Thailand versus $1,074 in Hungary — 34.28% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Thailand?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.99 in Thailand (≈ 65.44 THB), versus about $2.91 in Hungary.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to Hungary?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $428/month in Thailand versus $697/month in Hungary (-38.51%). 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.