Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
Learn more

Kurume Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kurume

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $965 in Kurume, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kurume $965

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,529 in Kurume, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kurume $1,529

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,092 in Kurume, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kurume $2,092

Budapest costs about 68% more than Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kurume is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$4.43 ¥700

214.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$43.67 ¥6,900

40.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.81 ¥601

167.45%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.91 ¥302

70.68%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.66 ¥104

224.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.55 ¥86.2

223.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.20 ¥505

15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.60 ¥252

135.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.25 ¥197

-8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.25 ¥197

43.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$5.13 ¥810

-51.46%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.88 ¥296

107.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$17.85 ¥2,821

-37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.33 ¥841

24.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$19.13 ¥3,022

-23.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.70 ¥584

-50.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.87 ¥296

9.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.89 ¥456

-17.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.26 ¥515

19.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.13 ¥336

-53.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.63 ¥416

-61.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.06 ¥168

49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.98 ¥154

-31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.64 ¥575

118.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.21 ¥981

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.64 ¥260

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.15 ¥181

76.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.51 ¥238

0.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$46.98 ¥7,423

-40.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.96 ¥626

-16.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.11 ¥333

-35.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$17.62 ¥2,784

12.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$0.60 ¥94.5

203.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

38.74%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.8K ¥2.8M

90.41%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$210 ¥33.1K

-18.37%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.97 ¥3,944

-5.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$22.59 ¥3,570

3.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$55.2 ¥8,724

22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.82 ¥1,078

36.36%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$127 ¥20.1K

318.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.5K ¥2.0M

34.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.62 ¥7,682

104.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$12.36 ¥1,953

251.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$24.78 ¥3,915

345.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$31.02 ¥4,901

283.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$531 ¥83.9K

56.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$126 ¥20.0K

391.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$468 ¥73.9K

240.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$315 ¥49.8K

271.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,267 ¥674.1K

36.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,883 ¥297.4K

106.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,537 ¥242.8K

7.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.97

227.41%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kurume: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kurume

$126 13.1% 79.7% $495

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kurume

$299 30.9% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kurume

$94 9.7% 57.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kurume

$257 26.7% 18% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kurume

$53 5.5% 68.6% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kurume

$69 7.1% 20% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kurume

$68 7% 52.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $531 in Kurume. 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 7% 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 $44.00 in Kurume. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $299 in Kurume – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

303,316

💱 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 Kurume 8,740 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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 68%, 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 $1,448 in Kurume. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 68% less in Kurume. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $127 in Kurume. 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 Kurume, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kurume it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kurume – 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 Kurume. 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.