Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
Learn more

Asahikawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Asahikawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Asahikawa $1,159

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,832 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Asahikawa $1,832

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,506 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Asahikawa $2,506

Budapest costs about 40% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Asahikawa is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.40 ¥853

158.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$35.56 ¥5,618

72.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.53 ¥873

84.27%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.94 ¥465

10.88%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.16 ¥184

84.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.76 ¥120

134.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.86 ¥451

29.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.44 ¥544

9.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.61 ¥255

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.52 ¥240

17.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.77 ¥595

-33.95%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.06 ¥326

89.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.07 ¥1,749

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.98 ¥944

10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$18.60 ¥2,938

-21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.45 ¥545

-46.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.35 ¥372

-12.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.83 ¥448

-16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.73 ¥747

-17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.28 ¥360

-56.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.62 ¥413

-61.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.15 ¥181

37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.87 ¥138

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.46 ¥705

78.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.16 ¥1,130

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.76 ¥277

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.26 ¥358

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.29 ¥204

17.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$60.6 ¥9,570

-53.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.36 ¥531

-1.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.74 ¥433

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.41 ¥2,751

13.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 ¥168

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

35.81%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

150.59%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$117 ¥18.5K

46.17%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$25.69 ¥4,059

-8.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.71 ¥4,378

-15.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$49.78 ¥7,864

35.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.53 ¥2,138

-31.26%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$500 ¥79.0K

6.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.2K ¥1.9M

37.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.15 ¥7,607

106.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.48 ¥5,290

29.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$66.1 ¥10.4K

66.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$85.5 ¥13.5K

39.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$453 ¥71.6K

83.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$306 ¥48.3K

103.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,104 ¥174.4K

44.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$640 ¥101.1K

82.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,448 ¥702.8K

31.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,801 ¥284.5K

115.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.21

191.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Asahikawa

$306 26.4% 50.8% $316

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Asahikawa

$295 25.4% 14.2% $37

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Asahikawa

$124 10.7% 44.4% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Asahikawa

$170 14.7% 21.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Asahikawa

$105 9.1% 37.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Asahikawa

$77 6.6% 10.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Asahikawa

$83 7.1% 87.1% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $453 in Asahikawa. 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $36.00 in Asahikawa. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $295 in Asahikawa – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

14:04 2:04 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

329,306

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Asahikawa 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Asahikawa

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

Budapest vs Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,619 in Budapest, $1,159 in Asahikawa – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,739 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 116% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $500 in Asahikawa. 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 Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,159 in Asahikawa to $1,619 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Asahikawa. 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.