Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hirakata

For one person, living is cheaper in Hirakata: $1,220 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Hirakata
Learn more

Hirakata Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Hirakata

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hirakata

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,220 in Hirakata, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Hirakata $1,220

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,929 in Hirakata, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Hirakata $1,929

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,638 in Hirakata, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Hirakata $2,638

Budapest costs about 35% more than Hirakata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Hirakata is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$8.59 ¥1,356

63.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$31.38 ¥4,958

94.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.97 ¥786

108.65%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.90 ¥458

19.31%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.29 ¥204

60.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.72 ¥114

145.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.07 ¥486

20.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.87 ¥611

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.44 ¥228

-19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.31 ¥206

41.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$5.49 ¥867

-56.28%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.05 ¥324

94.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.33 ¥1,474

22.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.93 ¥1,095

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$17.25 ¥2,725

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.39 ¥536

-44.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.94 ¥307

10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$3.10 ¥489

-25.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$4.13 ¥652

-2.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$4.03 ¥637

-74.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.82 ¥603

-74.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.36 ¥216

16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.88 ¥138

-20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.94 ¥623

103.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.69 ¥1,531

-36.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.61 ¥412

-52.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$3.13 ¥495

-34.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.49 ¥236

6.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$52.9 ¥8,365

-48.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.24 ¥512

5.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$3.23 ¥510

-58.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$15.59 ¥2,462

31.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.06 ¥168

82.08%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

32.57%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

126.48%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$114 ¥18.1K

52.52%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$23.50 ¥3,713

0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$30.41 ¥4,805

-22.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$52.5 ¥8,291

31.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$6.47 ¥1,022

197.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.43 ¥1,806

-9.80%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$513 ¥81.1K

4.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$13.0K ¥2.1M

29.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$48.40 ¥7,646

106.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$30.44 ¥4,810

42.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$61.5 ¥9,710

81.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$525 ¥83.0K

58.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$336 ¥53.1K

87.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,121 ¥177.1K

41.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$729 ¥115.2K

64.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,201 ¥663.7K

36.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,730 ¥273.3K

128.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,904 ¥300.9K

-10.10%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Hirakata: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Hirakata

$336 27.5% 46.6% $293

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Hirakata

$308 25.3% 17.7% $46

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Hirakata

$150 12.3% 33.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Hirakata

$168 13.8% 24.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Hirakata

$104 8.5% 38.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Hirakata

$75 6.2% 15.8% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Hirakata

$78 6.4% 78.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $525 in Hirakata. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Hirakata, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $31.00 in Hirakata. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $308 in Hirakata – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Hirakata

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

402,495

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Hirakata 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 Hirakata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 35%, 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 $1,829 in Hirakata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 92% less in Hirakata. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $513 in Hirakata. 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 Hirakata, where all-in costs run around $1,220, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Hirakata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hirakata – 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 Hirakata. 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.