Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gifu

For one person, living is cheaper in Gifu: $1,312 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Gifu
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,312
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gifu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,312 in Gifu, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Gifu $1,312

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,111 in Gifu, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Gifu $2,111

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,910 in Gifu, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Gifu $2,910

Budapest costs about 23% more than Gifu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Gifu is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$7.64 ¥1,207
82.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$31.70 ¥5,008
93.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$4.98 ¥786
104.62%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$2.30 ¥364
41.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$1.18 ¥187
81.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.59 ¥92.7
201.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$2.11 ¥333
75.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$2.37 ¥374
59.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.53 ¥242
-24.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$1.26 ¥199
42.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$5.61 ¥886
-55.61%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$2.07 ¥328
88.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$12.52 ¥1,977
-11.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$9.47 ¥1,496
-30.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$32.60 ¥5,151
-54.94%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$3.76 ¥594
-51.33%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$2.36 ¥373
-13.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$6.41 ¥1,012
-63.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$4.16 ¥657
-6.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$3.79 ¥599
-73.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$3.49 ¥552
-71.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$1.24 ¥196
27.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$1.00 ¥158
-33.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$3.38 ¥535
135.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$8.04 ¥1,271
-22.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$1.99 ¥314
-36.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$1.50 ¥237
35.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$1.57 ¥248
-3.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
$55.2 ¥8,727
-49.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$3.13 ¥494
5.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$3.20 ¥506
-57.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$26.12 ¥4,127
-24.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.10 ¥174
65.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$19.6K ¥3.1M
51.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$16.8K ¥2.7M
101.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$143 ¥22.6K
19.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$23.68 ¥3,741
-0.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$43.56 ¥6,881
-46.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$52.3 ¥8,270
29.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$12.83 ¥2,027
-27.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$315 ¥49.8K
69.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$6,158 ¥972.8K
172.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$49.14 ¥7,764
102.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$25.60 ¥4,045
69.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$45.39 ¥7,171
143.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$64.5 ¥10.2K
84.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$495 ¥78.2K
67.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$349 ¥55.1K
78.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$1,100 ¥173.8K
44.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$841 ¥132.9K
39.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$4,428 ¥699.5K
31.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$1,756 ¥277.4K
121.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Gifu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
2.28
182.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gifu: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Gifu
$349 43.9% $273
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Gifu
$385 49.3% $127
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Gifu
$126 43.5% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Gifu
$211 3.4% $7.4
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Gifu
$83 50.4% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Gifu
$78 9.4% $8.1
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Gifu
$81 82.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $495 in Gifu. 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 $32.00 in Gifu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $385 in Gifu – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇯🇵 Gifu
🕒 Local time
13:31 1:31 PM
20:31 8:31 PM
7 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
404,352
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Gifu 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Gifu

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 Gifu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gifu cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,968 in Gifu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gifu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 97% less in Gifu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $315 in Gifu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Gifu?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gifu, where all-in costs run around $1,312, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Gifu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Gifu more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gifu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Gifu?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gifu. 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.

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