Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Atsugi

For one person, living is cheaper in Atsugi: $1,244 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Atsugi

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 Atsugi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,244 in Atsugi.

Budapest $1,619
Atsugi $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $2,157 in Atsugi.

Budapest $2,524
Atsugi $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $3,070 in Atsugi.

Budapest $3,429
Atsugi $3,070

Living in Budapest is roughly 30% more expensive than in Atsugi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Atsugi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.93 ¥1,252

75.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$25.65 ¥4,052

138.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.95 ¥782

105.86%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.90 ¥301

71.58%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.93 ¥147

130.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.68 ¥107

161.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.72 ¥429

36.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.07 ¥484

22.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.51 ¥238

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.48 ¥233

20.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.05 ¥640

-38.52%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.08 ¥328

87.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.93 ¥2,517

-30.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.48 ¥708

47.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$12.30 ¥1,943

19.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.30 ¥838

-65.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.98 ¥312

3.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$3.80 ¥601

-37.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.70 ¥426

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.64 ¥417

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.92 ¥304

-47.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.16 ¥184

36.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.90 ¥142

-25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.52 ¥557

126.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.35 ¥1,477

-33.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.61 ¥255

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.15 ¥340

-5.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.61 ¥412

-41.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$52.4 ¥8,275

-46.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.11 ¥491

6.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.81 ¥445

-51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$9.62 ¥1,520

106.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.05 ¥166

73.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$12.7K ¥2.0M

134.72%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

121.37%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$230 ¥36.3K

-25.50%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.11 ¥2,230

66.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.54 ¥4,825

-23.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.6 ¥8,147

30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.46 ¥1,179

153.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.56 ¥1,827

-19.55%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$321 ¥50.7K

66.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,085 ¥961.3K

175.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$40.67 ¥6,425

144.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$24.20 ¥3,824

79.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$53.4 ¥8,433

106.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$31.98 ¥5,053

272.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$523 ¥82.6K

58.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$334 ¥52.7K

86.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,090 ¥172.2K

46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,260 ¥199.1K

-7.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,945 ¥623.3K

47.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,794 ¥283.4K

116.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$3,774 ¥596.3K

-56.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.02

219.31%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Atsugi

$334 26.8% 46.3% $288

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Atsugi

$287 23.1% 11.2% $29

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Atsugi

$127 10.2% 42.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Atsugi

$274 22.1% 25.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Atsugi

$68 5.4% 59.7% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Atsugi

$75 6% 13.3% $11

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Atsugi

$80 6.4% 80.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $523 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays 129% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Budapest vs $26.00 in Atsugi. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $287, with Budapest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

223,705

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Budapest Atsugi 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Atsugi differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,619 vs $1,244 including rent). Atsugi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Atsugi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $523 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Atsugi – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $1,244 in Atsugi – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Atsugi versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atsugi but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Atsugi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Atsugi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Atsugi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.