Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $723 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
Learn more

Niigata Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Niigata

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $723 in Niigata, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Niigata $723

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,092 in Niigata, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Niigata $1,092

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,462 in Niigata, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Niigata $1,462

Budapest costs about 124% more than Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Niigata is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

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

$15.60 ¥2,465

292.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.00 ¥790

103.80%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.60 ¥410

25.38%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.56 ¥246

37.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.80 ¥127

122.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.58 ¥408

43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.65 ¥419

42.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.22 ¥193

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.97 ¥154

84.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.55 ¥403

-2.35%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.23 ¥352

74.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.68 ¥1,214

44.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.68 ¥1,055

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$16.34 ¥2,581

-10.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.24 ¥513

-43.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.23 ¥195

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.55 ¥402

-7.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.27 ¥359

71.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.91 ¥302

-48.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.95 ¥308

-48.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.93 ¥148

69.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.65 ¥102

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.78 ¥598

110.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.30 ¥679

44.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.70 ¥269

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.91 ¥301

6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.26 ¥199

20.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.60 ¥410

27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.09 ¥488

-55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$18.34 ¥2,897

8.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.04 ¥165

75.00%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

59.86%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$12.5K ¥2.0M

171.25%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$147 ¥23.2K

16.60%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.26 ¥3,360

10.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$25.41 ¥4,015

-8.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$52.0 ¥8,210

29.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.24 ¥985

202.72%

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

$63.2 ¥9,991

743.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.0K ¥2.8M

-6.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$31.35 ¥4,953

217.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$32.21 ¥5,089

35.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$37.87 ¥5,982

191.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$63.6 ¥10.0K

87.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$350 ¥55.3K

137.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,267 ¥200.2K

30.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.48

335.81%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Niigata

$234 32.3% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Niigata

$123 17% 44.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Niigata

$193 26.8% 11.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Niigata

$74 10.3% 55.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Niigata

$76 10.5% 12.1% $10

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Niigata

$23 * 3.2% 47.8% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $350 in Niigata. 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 30% 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 $16.00 in Niigata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Niigata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

16:20 4:20 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

811,639

💱 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 Niigata 8,810 km ≈ 12 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 Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 124%, 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 $1,085 in Niigata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $16.00 in Niigata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Niigata, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Niigata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Niigata – 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 Niigata. 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.