Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,240 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
Learn more

Kitakyushu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kitakyushu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,240 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kitakyushu $1,240

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,919 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kitakyushu $1,919

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,599 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kitakyushu $2,599

Budapest costs about 31% more than Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kitakyushu is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.30 ¥1,153

90.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.63 ¥5,314

82.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.49 ¥868

85.61%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.32 ¥525

-1.81%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.99 ¥157

116.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.75 ¥118

137.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.00 ¥475

23.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.20 ¥348

71.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.49 ¥236

-22.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.32 ¥209

35.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$5.31 ¥839

-53.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.30 ¥363

69.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.46 ¥1,494

17.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.29 ¥835

25.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$18.56 ¥2,932

-20.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.71 ¥586

-50.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.78 ¥282

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.91 ¥459

-18.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.88 ¥455

35.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.20 ¥347

-55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.53 ¥399

-60.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.06 ¥168

49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.92 ¥145

-27.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.97 ¥626

100.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.44 ¥1,017

-3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.72 ¥272

-26.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.70 ¥269

19.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.65 ¥261

-7.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$53.2 ¥8,405

-47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.91 ¥617

-15.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.09 ¥331

-34.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.98 ¥2,840

10.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.04 ¥164

75.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$20.8K ¥3.3M

43.24%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.8K ¥2.8M

90.13%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$195 ¥30.9K

-12.41%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.96 ¥3,944

-5.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$32.31 ¥5,105

-27.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.4 ¥8,126

31.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$3.22 ¥508

486.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.19 ¥1,768

-16.89%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$371 ¥58.7K

43.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

35.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$49.57 ¥7,832

100.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$25.75 ¥4,069

68.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$66.4 ¥10.5K

66.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$54.8 ¥8,658

117.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$522 ¥82.5K

59.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$333 ¥52.6K

86.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,106 ¥174.7K

44.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$725 ¥114.6K

61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,174 ¥659.5K

39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,729 ¥273.1K

124.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,510 ¥238.5K

9.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.69

281.66%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kitakyushu

$333 26.9% 46.4% $289

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kitakyushu

$276 22.3% 7.1% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kitakyushu

$141 11.4% 36.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kitakyushu

$253 20.4% 15.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kitakyushu

$88 7.1% 47.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kitakyushu

$74 6% 14.3% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kitakyushu

$74 6% 67.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $522 in Kitakyushu. 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 9% 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 $34.00 in Kitakyushu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $276 in Kitakyushu – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

15:25 3:25 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

939,029

💱 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 Kitakyushu 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, 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 $1,859 in Kitakyushu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Kitakyushu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $371 in Kitakyushu. 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 Kitakyushu, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kitakyushu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kitakyushu – 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 Kitakyushu. 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.