Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,229 in Kyoto, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Kyoto $1,229

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,987 in Kyoto, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Kyoto $1,987

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,745 in Kyoto, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Kyoto $2,745

Budapest costs about 32% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kyoto is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.52 ¥1,504

46.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.84 ¥5,031

92.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.00 ¥791

103.80%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.35 ¥529

-2.69%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.83 ¥132

157.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.73 ¥115

143.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.18 ¥503

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$5.51 ¥870

-31.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.55 ¥244

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.63 ¥258

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$5.74 ¥907

-56.62%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.12 ¥335

83.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.57 ¥1,353

29.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.58 ¥1,197

-12.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.70 ¥1,690

37.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.16 ¥815

-64.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.27 ¥359

-9.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.94 ¥781

-52.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$3.51 ¥555

11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.94 ¥307

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.66 ¥262

-39.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.18 ¥187

33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.99 ¥156

-32.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.86 ¥610

106.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.52 ¥1,189

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.56 ¥247

-18.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.27 ¥517

-37.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.48 ¥234

2.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$63.5 ¥10.0K

-55.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.25 ¥513

1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.77 ¥596

-63.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$28.62 ¥4,521

-30.71%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

36.81%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

123.60%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$102 ¥16.1K

68.33%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.50 ¥3,712

0.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.15 ¥4,921

-25.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$52.3 ¥8,265

29.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$19.00 ¥3,001

-0.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.06 ¥1,905

-22.89%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$642 ¥101.5K

-16.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,412 ¥1.0M

161.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$56.8 ¥8,980

75.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$45.66 ¥7,214

-4.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$69.4 ¥11.0K

59.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$105 ¥16.5K

13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$552 ¥87.1K

50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$325 ¥51.4K

91.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,743 ¥275.4K

-8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$766 ¥121.0K

52.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,241 ¥354.0K

160.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,270 ¥200.7K

206.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,889 ¥298.5K

-12.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.23

189.24%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Kyoto

$325 26.5% 47.7% $297

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Kyoto

$291 23.7% 12.8% $33

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Kyoto

$165 13.4% 26.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Kyoto

$156 12.7% 28.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Kyoto

$124 10.1% 25.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Kyoto

$76 6.2% 11.3% $9.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Kyoto

$91 7.4% 107% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $552 in Kyoto. 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 14% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32.00 in Kyoto. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $291 in Kyoto – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

15:40 3:40 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,475,183

💱 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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Budapest Kyoto 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 32%, 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 $1,844 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 126% less in Kyoto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $642 in Kyoto. 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 Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kyoto – 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 Kyoto. 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.