Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ichikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ichikawa

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,167 in Ichikawa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ichikawa $1,167

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,876 in Ichikawa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ichikawa $1,876

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,585 in Ichikawa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ichikawa $2,585

Budapest costs about 39% more than Ichikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ichikawa is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$5.13 ¥811

171.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.09 ¥4,912

96.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.30 ¥680

136.98%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.23 ¥352

46.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.72 ¥113

197.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.35 ¥55.7

408.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.50 ¥395

48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.18 ¥502

18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.38 ¥218

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.65 ¥261

8.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.66 ¥578

-31.97%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.97 ¥311

97.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.53 ¥1,663

5.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.86 ¥926

12.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.38 ¥2,272

2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.53 ¥874

-66.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.80 ¥442

-26.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.81 ¥444

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.26 ¥673

-8.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.61 ¥413

-62.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.56 ¥404

-60.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.28 ¥202

23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.75 ¥118

-10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.73 ¥590

113.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.38 ¥1,007

-2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.78 ¥281

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.02 ¥320

0.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.35 ¥213

12.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$59.9 ¥9,457

-53.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.13 ¥494

5.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.73 ¥432

-49.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$20.59 ¥3,253

-3.69%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

40.50%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$18.5K ¥2.9M

82.50%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$132 ¥20.8K

29.79%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.97 ¥3,788

-1.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.98 ¥5,052

-27.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$47.04 ¥7,431

43.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.80 ¥2,022

-27.34%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$642 ¥101.4K

-16.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

15.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$62.0 ¥9,801

60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.27 ¥5,889

16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$60.5 ¥9,559

82.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$102 ¥16.1K

16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$495 ¥78.3K

67.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$317 ¥50.1K

96.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,186 ¥187.3K

34.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$763 ¥120.5K

53.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,455 ¥703.9K

30.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,881 ¥297.2K

106.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.64

144.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ichikawa

$317 27.1% 49.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ichikawa

$287 24.6% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ichikawa

$104 8.9% 53.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ichikawa

$188 16.1% 13.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ichikawa

$118 10.1% 29.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ichikawa

$73 6.2% 15.7% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ichikawa

$82 7% 85.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $495 in Ichikawa. 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 $31.00 in Ichikawa. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $287 in Ichikawa – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

05:19 5:19 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

496,676

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Budapest Ichikawa 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ichikawa

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 Ichikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,751 in Ichikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 114% less in Ichikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $642 in Ichikawa. 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 Ichikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ichikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ichikawa – 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 Ichikawa. 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.