Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
Learn more

Fukushima Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Fukushima

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,165 in Fukushima, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Fukushima $1,165

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,826 in Fukushima, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Fukushima $1,826

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,487 in Fukushima, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Fukushima $2,487

Budapest costs about 41% more than Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Fukushima is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.89 ¥930

138.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$29.92 ¥4,727

103.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.45 ¥703

133.03%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.55 ¥404

35.69%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.94 ¥148

120.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.67 ¥106

164.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.61 ¥412

41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.12 ¥493

21.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.47 ¥232

-21.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.55 ¥244

19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$4.08 ¥645

-41.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.08 ¥328

91.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.38 ¥1,639

9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.69 ¥1,057

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$16.64 ¥2,629

-12.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.77 ¥596

-50.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.26 ¥357

-5.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.80 ¥443

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$4.07 ¥642

-0.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.48 ¥391

-58.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.57 ¥406

-61.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.29 ¥205

22.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.84 ¥132

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.89 ¥615

106.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.82 ¥1,077

-9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.84 ¥291

-32.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.13 ¥337

-3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.49 ¥235

6.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$48.19 ¥7,613

-42.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.18 ¥502

7.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.69 ¥425

-50.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$21.15 ¥3,342

-3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.02 ¥161

89.22%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$20.2K ¥3.2M

44.59%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$15.6K ¥2.5M

122.77%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$126 ¥19.9K

38.35%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$21.15 ¥3,342

11.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$30.04 ¥4,746

-21.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$51.6 ¥8,154

33.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.70 ¥1,849

-11.88%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$453 ¥71.6K

18.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.4K ¥1.8M

47.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$46.93 ¥7,414

112.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$36.00 ¥5,688

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$64.6 ¥10.2K

73.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$84.5 ¥13.3K

40.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$535 ¥84.5K

55.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$333 ¥52.5K

89.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,018 ¥160.9K

55.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$705 ¥111.4K

69.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$3,897 ¥615.6K

46.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,857 ¥293.4K

112.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Fukushima

$333 28.5% 47.1% $297

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Fukushima

$288 24.7% 10.1% $26

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Fukushima

$117 10% 48.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Fukushima

$177 15.2% 20% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Fukushima

$104 9% 38% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Fukushima

$75 6.4% 16.2% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Fukushima

$71 6.1% 60.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $535 in Fukushima. 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 $30.00 in Fukushima. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $288 in Fukushima – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

01:32 1:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

282,693

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Fukushima 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,748 in Fukushima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Fukushima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $453 in Fukushima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Fukushima, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Fukushima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Fukushima – 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 Fukushima. 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.