Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
Learn more

Ibaraki Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ibaraki

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,130 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Ibaraki $1,130

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,756 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Ibaraki $1,756

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,383 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Ibaraki $2,383

Budapest costs about 45% more than Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Ibaraki is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.43 ¥1,016

118.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$30.94 ¥4,888

96.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.95 ¥781

109.49%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.04 ¥480

13.82%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.15 ¥182

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.75 ¥119

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.66 ¥421

38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.16 ¥499

20.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$2.70 ¥427

-57.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.54 ¥244

20.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$4.04 ¥638

-40.59%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.12 ¥334

88.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.53 ¥1,663

8.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.66 ¥1,053

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$16.42 ¥2,594

-11.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.79 ¥599

-50.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.26 ¥357

-5.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.81 ¥443

-18.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$4.08 ¥645

-0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.43 ¥384

-58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.56 ¥404

-61.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.24 ¥196

27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.85 ¥134

-17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.33 ¥526

141.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$6.66 ¥1,052

-7.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.78 ¥282

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.15 ¥340

-4.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.68 ¥266

-5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$54.3 ¥8,582

-49.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$4.65 ¥735

-26.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.81 ¥444

-52.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$18.30 ¥2,890

11.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.13 ¥178

70.80%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$21.4K ¥3.4M

36.42%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

129.35%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$136 ¥21.5K

28.43%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$23.88 ¥3,773

-1.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$31.10 ¥4,913

-24.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$51.5 ¥8,140

33.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$12.95 ¥2,046

-20.39%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$464 ¥73.3K

15.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$13.6K ¥2.1M

24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$26.48 ¥4,184

277.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$31.63 ¥4,997

36.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$67.2 ¥10.6K

66.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$79.9 ¥12.6K

49.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$401 ¥63.4K

107.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$260 ¥41.1K

141.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,102 ¥174.2K

43.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$528 ¥83.3K

126.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$3,937 ¥622.0K

45.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,554 ¥245.6K

153.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$2,553 ¥403.3K

-32.94%

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 Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Ibaraki

$260 23% 58.7% $369

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Ibaraki

$300 26.5% 14.4% $38

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Ibaraki

$130 11.5% 42.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Ibaraki

$191 16.9% 13.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Ibaraki

$92 8.2% 45.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Ibaraki

$77 6.9% 13.5% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ibaraki

$80 7.1% 81.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $401 in Ibaraki. 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 49% higher in Ibaraki, 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 Ibaraki. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $300 in Ibaraki – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

287,730

💱 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 Ibaraki 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 45%, 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 $1,695 in Ibaraki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 97% less in Ibaraki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $464 in Ibaraki. 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 Ibaraki, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Ibaraki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ibaraki – 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 Ibaraki. 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.