Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Nagoya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagoya: $1,369 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Nagoya

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,369 in Nagoya, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Nagoya $1,369

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,170 in Nagoya, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Nagoya $2,170

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,972 in Nagoya, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Nagoya $2,972

Budapest costs about 18% more than Nagoya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Budapest and Nagoya sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Nagoya by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.57 ¥1,355

62.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.14 ¥4,919

96.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.11 ¥808

99.41%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.39 ¥377

36.40%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.24 ¥195

72.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.85 ¥135

109.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.09 ¥489

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.20 ¥505

17.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.51 ¥239

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.52 ¥241

17.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.03 ¥637

-38.21%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.15 ¥339

81.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.68 ¥2,477

-29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.14 ¥1,129

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$16.92 ¥2,674

-13.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$8.42 ¥1,330

-78.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.90 ¥459

-29.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.86 ¥768

-51.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$7.84 ¥1,238

-50.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$4.08 ¥645

-75.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$4.75 ¥750

-78.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.14 ¥180

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.94 ¥148

-28.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.86 ¥610

106.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.47 ¥1,496

-34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.49 ¥393

-49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.18 ¥345

-6.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.49 ¥235

2.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$118 ¥18.6K

-76.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.20 ¥505

3.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.85 ¥451

-51.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$15.80 ¥2,495

25.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.10 ¥173

65.45%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

37.73%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

127.13%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$115 ¥18.2K

48.74%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.65 ¥3,736

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.18 ¥4,926

-25.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$50.5 ¥7,971

33.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.41 ¥2,119

40.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.29 ¥1,784

-17.63%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$572 ¥90.3K

-6.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

13.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$49.53 ¥7,826

101.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.86 ¥5,666

21.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.7 ¥9,427

84.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$99.5 ¥15.7K

19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$537 ¥84.9K

54.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$352 ¥55.6K

76.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,199 ¥189.5K

32.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$749 ¥118.3K

56.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,031 ¥320.8K

187.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,030 ¥162.7K

277.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,882 ¥297.4K

-12.28%

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 Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Nagoya

$352 25.7% 43.5% $270

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Nagoya

$380 27.8% 47.3% $122

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Nagoya

$143 10.4% 36% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Nagoya

$170 12.4% 22% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Nagoya

$110 8% 34.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Nagoya

$73 5.3% 15.2% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Nagoya

$141 10.3% 219% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $537 in Nagoya. 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 Nagoya, 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 $31.00 in Nagoya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $380 in Nagoya – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

16:19 4:19 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,236,000

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Nagoya 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,053 in Nagoya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 321% less in Nagoya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $572 in Nagoya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nagoya, where all-in costs run around $1,369, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Nagoya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nagoya – 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 Nagoya. 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.