Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,396 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Osaka

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $1,396 in Osaka, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Osaka $1,396

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $2,027 in Osaka, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Osaka $2,027

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $2,658 in Osaka, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Osaka $2,658

Budapest costs about 17% more than Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Osaka sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Osaka by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$6.50 ¥1,027

112.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$31.93 ¥5,041

92.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$5.15 ¥813

97.28%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$3.03 ¥478

6.27%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$1.39 ¥220

48.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.71 ¥113

157.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$2.75 ¥434

30.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$3.89 ¥614

-5.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.46 ¥230

-18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$1.30 ¥205

43.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$5.46 ¥863

-56.59%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$2.03 ¥321

95.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$9.63 ¥1,520

15.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$9.45 ¥1,492

-28.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$18.58 ¥2,933

-22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$3.39 ¥535

-46.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$2.00 ¥316

5.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.09 ¥329

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$4.14 ¥654

-8.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.57 ¥247

-36.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$1.17 ¥185

-16.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.37 ¥217

13.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.81 ¥128

-13.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$4.02 ¥635

93.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$9.72 ¥1,535

-37.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.94 ¥306

-34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$3.19 ¥503

-36.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$1.35 ¥213

14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$32.79 ¥5,178

-16.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$3.90 ¥616

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$3.26 ¥515

-59.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$21.50 ¥3,395

-5.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.11 ¥176

63.96%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

28.69%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

122.75%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$141 ¥22.3K

22.12%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$24.00 ¥3,790

-0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$30.50 ¥4,815

-23.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$51.7 ¥8,168

32.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$18.86 ¥2,978

0.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$12.85 ¥2,028

-20.78%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$709 ¥111.9K

-15.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

26.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$48.77 ¥7,700

103.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$30.94 ¥4,885

39.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$72.9 ¥11.5K

54.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

29.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$732 ¥115.6K

14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$516 ¥81.5K

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$1,693 ¥267.3K

-5.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$773 ¥122.1K

55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-14.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$3,063 ¥483.6K

24.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$2,363 ¥373.1K

-29.26%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Osaka

$516 37% 19.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 18.1% $47

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 39.4% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Osaka

$195 14% 10.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 34.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 13% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 34.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $732 in Osaka. 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 41% higher in Osaka, 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 in Budapest versus $32 in Osaka. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $305 in Osaka – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

04:58 4:58 AM

8 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Osaka 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $2,094 in Osaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $732 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $709 in Osaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,638 in Budapest and $1,396 in Osaka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Osaka costs $1,396 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.