Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,190 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Morioka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,190
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,190 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,619
  • Morioka $1,190

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,943 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,524
  • Morioka $1,943

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,696 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,429
  • Morioka $2,696

Budapest costs about 36% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Morioka is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.94 Ft 4,503
$6.13 ¥969
127.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
$31.46 ¥4,971
94.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.19 Ft 3,291
$5.15 ¥813
97.86%
Cappuccino
$3.26 Ft 1,055
$2.96 ¥468
10.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 Ft 690
$1.20 ¥189
78.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 Ft 577
$0.79 ¥124
125.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.71 Ft 1,198
$2.66 ¥421
39.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.77 Ft 1,217
$3.11 ¥491
21.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 Ft 371
$1.46 ¥230
-21.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.79 Ft 578
$1.55 ¥244
15.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 804
$4.23 ¥668
-41.13%
Eggs
$3.90 Ft 1,261
$2.03 ¥320
92.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.10 Ft 3,587
$9.04 ¥1,428
22.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.62 Ft 2,139
$7.42 ¥1,172
-10.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,745
$17.65 ¥2,788
-16.77%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 Ft 591
$3.97 ¥627
-53.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 Ft 661
$2.24 ¥355
-8.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.37 Ft 765
$3.10 ¥489
-23.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 Ft 1,260
$4.29 ¥678
-9.09%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$2.56 ¥405
-61.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.00 Ft 322
$2.22 ¥352
-54.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 511
$1.18 ¥187
33.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 Ft 216
$0.94 ¥148
-28.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,572
$4.13 ¥653
92.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$6.81 ¥1,076
-8.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 411
$1.68 ¥266
-24.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Ft 654
$2.33 ¥368
-12.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 Ft 490
$1.50 ¥236
1.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.02 Ft 9,053
$54.5 ¥8,603
-48.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 Ft 1,070
$3.13 ¥494
5.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.37 Ft 442
$2.63 ¥415
-47.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.83 Ft 6,406
$21.32 ¥3,368
-6.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 589
$1.09 ¥172
66.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
$20.2K ¥3.2M
47.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
$15.1K ¥2.4M
124.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$171 Ft 55.3K
$132 ¥20.8K
29.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51 Ft 7,596
$23.69 ¥3,743
-0.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.29 Ft 7,526
$31.46 ¥4,970
-25.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
$51.7 ¥8,167
30.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.30 Ft 3,004
$11.07 ¥1,749
-15.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$533 Ft 172.3K
$545 ¥86.1K
-2.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$12.2K ¥1.9M
37.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
$50.8 ¥8,018
96.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
$35.59 ¥5,623
22.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 Ft 35.7K
$57.1 ¥9,025
93.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$96.3 ¥15.2K
23.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 Ft 268.3K
$552 ¥87.1K
50.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 Ft 200.9K
$323 ¥51.0K
92.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
$1,157 ¥182.8K
37.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
$842 ¥133.0K
39.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
$4,122 ¥651.2K
41.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
$1,502 ¥237.3K
158.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Morioka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
2.21
191.86%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$622
Morioka
$323 48.1% $299
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Morioka
$294 14.1% $36
Eating Out
Budapest
$223
Morioka
$127 42.8% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$218
Morioka
$187 14.2% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Morioka
$108 35.6% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$86
Morioka
$74 14.3% $12
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Morioka
$77 73.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $552 in Morioka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $31.00 in Morioka. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $294 in Morioka – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇯🇵 Morioka
🕒 Local time
09:24 9:24 AM
16:24 4:24 PM
7 h ahead of Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
289,731
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Morioka 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Morioka cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,785 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 94% less in Morioka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $545 in Morioka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Morioka?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Morioka, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Morioka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Morioka more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Morioka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Morioka?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Morioka. 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.

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