Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
Learn more

Kawasaki Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kawasaki

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,481 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kawasaki $1,481

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,245 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kawasaki $2,245

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $3,009 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kawasaki $3,009

Budapest costs about 9% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Kawasaki sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Kawasaki by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.72 ¥1,220

80.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$37.50 ¥5,924

63.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.02 ¥793

102.99%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.69 ¥426

21.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.59 ¥251

34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.87 ¥137

104.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.22 ¥509

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.06 ¥484

23.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.52 ¥241

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.55 ¥244

15.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.23 ¥669

-41.13%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.11 ¥333

84.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.09 ¥1,751

0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.63 ¥1,047

-0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$16.37 ¥2,587

-10.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$6.27 ¥991

-70.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.71 ¥428

-24.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.95 ¥783

-52.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$5.33 ¥842

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.27 ¥517

-69.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.06 ¥483

-67.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.14 ¥179

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.82 ¥130

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.83 ¥605

107.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.39 ¥1,483

-33.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.39 ¥377

-46.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.71 ¥429

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.90 ¥300

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$51.1 ¥8,072

-45.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.07 ¥485

7.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.06 ¥484

-55.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$18.85 ¥2,978

5.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 ¥167

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

35.51%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

119.68%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$124 ¥19.6K

38.03%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.61 ¥3,729

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.45 ¥4,810

-23.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$54.2 ¥8,560

24.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.22 ¥982

203.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.18 ¥1,925

-23.65%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$568 ¥89.8K

-6.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.5K ¥2.3M

15.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$50.1 ¥7,914

98.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$33.45 ¥5,285

30.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$64.4 ¥10.2K

71.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$70.9 ¥11.2K

67.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$754 ¥119.2K

10.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$576 ¥90.9K

8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,281 ¥202.4K

24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$1,021 ¥161.2K

14.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,698 ¥742.2K

24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$3,131 ¥494.7K

24.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$2,542 ¥401.6K

-35.04%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Kawasaki: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kawasaki

$576 38.9% 7.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kawasaki

$332 22.4% 28.8% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kawasaki

$141 9.5% 36.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kawasaki

$178 12% 18.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kawasaki

$98 6.7% 41.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kawasaki

$79 5.3% 8.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kawasaki

$77 5.2% 74.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $754 in Kawasaki. 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 54% higher in Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $332 in Kawasaki – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,538,262

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Kawasaki 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 9%, 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 $2,222 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 82% less in Kawasaki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $568 in Kawasaki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kawasaki – 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 Kawasaki. 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.