Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,084 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
Learn more

Kawagoe Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kawagoe

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,084 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kawagoe $1,084

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,747 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kawagoe $1,747

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,409 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kawagoe $2,409

Budapest costs about 49% more than Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.38 ¥1,008

118.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$40.89 ¥6,460

49.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.02 ¥793

102.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.41 ¥539

-4.40%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.93 ¥146

130.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.49 ¥78.0

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.92 ¥304

93.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.64 ¥417

42.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.16 ¥183

-0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.29 ¥203

38.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.59 ¥566

-30.64%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.02 ¥320

93.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.14 ¥970

80.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.24 ¥987

6.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.67 ¥2,318

0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.61 ¥887

-67.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.30 ¥364

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.81 ¥445

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.11 ¥492

25.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.55 ¥403

-61.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.87 ¥296

-46.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.30 ¥206

21.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.74 ¥117

-9.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.86 ¥609

106.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.87 ¥770

27.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.74 ¥275

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.03 ¥320

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.98 ¥471

-48.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$53.7 ¥8,488

-47.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.19 ¥504

3.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.73 ¥431

-49.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$20.42 ¥3,226

-2.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.11 ¥175

63.96%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

89.44%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

162.79%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$131 ¥20.7K

30.74%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$22.38 ¥3,536

5.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.77 ¥5,020

-26.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$43.88 ¥6,932

53.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$32.08 ¥5,068

-41.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.12 ¥1,757

-16.37%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$315 ¥49.8K

69.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,305 ¥996.1K

165.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$31.87 ¥5,035

212.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.30 ¥5,261

30.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$43.84 ¥6,926

151.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$96.3 ¥15.2K

23.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$417 ¥65.8K

99.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$273 ¥43.1K

127.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$844 ¥133.4K

88.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$594 ¥93.8K

97.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,561 ¥404.5K

127.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,760 ¥278.0K

121.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,614 ¥255.0K

2.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.6

303.12%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kawagoe

$273 25.2% 56.1% $349

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kawagoe

$257 23.7% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kawagoe

$128 11.8% 42.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kawagoe

$185 17.1% 15.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kawagoe

$92 8.5% 44.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kawagoe

$66 6.1% 23.2% $20

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kawagoe

$83 7.6% 86.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $417 in Kawagoe. 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 2% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $41.00 in Kawagoe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $257 – making Kawagoe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

350,745

💱 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 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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Kawagoe 9,010 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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 49%, 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 $1,626 in Kawagoe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawagoe, 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 Kawagoe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $315 in Kawagoe. 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 Kawagoe, where all-in costs run around $1,084, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kawagoe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kawagoe – 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 Kawagoe. 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.