Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Okayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
Learn more

Okayama Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Okayama

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $975 in Okayama, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Okayama $975

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,564 in Okayama, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Okayama $1,564

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,153 in Okayama, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Okayama $2,153

Budapest costs about 68% more than Okayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Okayama is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$5.90 ¥933

137.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$24.92 ¥3,937

144.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$5.01 ¥791

106.99%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.71 ¥270

102.34%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.71 ¥111

191.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.68 ¥107

160.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.88 ¥296

96.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.92 ¥304

97.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.35 ¥214

-14.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.61 ¥96.4

203.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$4.11 ¥649

-41.61%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$1.48 ¥234

169.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$15.36 ¥2,426

-25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.33 ¥1,000

8.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$17.08 ¥2,698

-15.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$4.98 ¥787

-62.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.90 ¥459

-26.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$4.94 ¥781

-53.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$4.44 ¥701

-9.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.24 ¥355

-54.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.84 ¥291

-46.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.14 ¥180

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.67 ¥107

4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.81 ¥602

110.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.59 ¥1,515

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.94 ¥306

-36.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.86 ¥294

10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.45 ¥229

9.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$52.5 ¥8,300

-47.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.22 ¥509

6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.46 ¥388

-45.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$21.52 ¥3,399

-4.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.99 ¥157

94.95%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

32.61%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

125.99%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$72.1 ¥11.4K

142.28%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$14.09 ¥2,227

67.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$25.42 ¥4,016

-7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$52.7 ¥8,321

30.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.33 ¥1,790

-9.00%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$578 ¥91.3K

-7.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

12.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$49.16 ¥7,766

103.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$35.88 ¥5,668

20.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$60.9 ¥9,628

83.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$97.1 ¥15.3K

22.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$329 ¥52.0K

152.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$192 ¥30.4K

227.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$644 ¥101.7K

146.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$428 ¥67.7K

179.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,159 ¥657.1K

37.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,788 ¥282.4K

120.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,377 ¥217.6K

24.29%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Okayama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Okayama

$192 19.7% 69.5% $437

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Okayama

$311 31.9% 18.8% $49

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Okayama

$102 10.4% 55.2% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Okayama

$112 11.5% 49.7% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Okayama

$109 11.2% 35% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Okayama

$75 7.7% 15.8% $14

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Okayama

$74 7.6% 67.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $329 in Okayama. 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 24% 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 $25.00 in Okayama. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $311 in Okayama – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Okayama

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

719,474

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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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 Okayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,462 in Okayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 91% less in Okayama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $578 in Okayama. 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 Okayama, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Okayama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Okayama – 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 Okayama. 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.