Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
Learn more

Nara Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Nara

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,215 in Nara, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Nara $1,215

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,828 in Nara, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Nara $1,828

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,442 in Nara, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Nara $2,442

Budapest costs about 33% more than Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Nara is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.40 ¥1,011

117.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.96 ¥5,049

91.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.10 ¥805

99.80%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.48 ¥392

31.45%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.30 ¥206

64.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.75 ¥119

137.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.10 ¥489

19.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.06 ¥483

23.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.50 ¥238

-23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.34 ¥211

33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.05 ¥640

-38.52%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.13 ¥336

83.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.60 ¥1,517

15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.01 ¥1,108

-5.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.82 ¥2,815

-17.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.41 ¥539

-46.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.99 ¥315

3.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.01 ¥317

17.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.01 ¥633

-2.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.57 ¥248

-36.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.16 ¥184

-13.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.12 ¥177

41.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.81 ¥128

-17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.82 ¥604

108.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.49 ¥1,500

-34.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.93 ¥305

-34.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.13 ¥337

-4.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.55 ¥245

-1.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$72.0 ¥11.4K

-61.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.23 ¥510

2.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.83 ¥447

-51.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$15.70 ¥2,480

26.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.11 ¥175

63.96%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

36.18%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

127.05%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$115 ¥18.2K

48.31%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.28 ¥3,836

-3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.63 ¥4,840

-23.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-17.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$7.44 ¥1,176

153.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.85 ¥1,872

-21.52%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$511 ¥80.8K

4.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

30.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$48.43 ¥7,652

105.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$30.90 ¥4,882

40.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.5 ¥9,398

85.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$88.7 ¥14.0K

34.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$404 ¥63.8K

105.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$333 ¥52.7K

86.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$810 ¥128.0K

96.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$544 ¥86.0K

115.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,669 ¥421.6K

118.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,959 ¥309.5K

98.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,110 ¥175.3K

48.80%

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 Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Nara

$333 27.4% 46.4% $289

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Nara

$282 23.2% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Nara

$126 10.4% 43.5% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Nara

$170 14% 21.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Nara

$102 8.4% 38.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Nara

$106 8.7% 23% $20

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Nara

$96 7.9% 116% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $404 in Nara. 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 49% 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 $32.00 in Nara. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $282 in Nara – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

355,280

💱 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 Nara 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 33%, 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 $1,823 in Nara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 157% less in Nara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $511 in Nara. 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 Nara, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Nara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nara – 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 Nara. 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.