Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sagamihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Sagamihara: $1,257 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Sagamihara
Learn more

Sagamihara Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sagamihara

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,257 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Sagamihara $1,257

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,021 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Sagamihara $2,021

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,785 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Sagamihara $2,785

Budapest costs about 29% more than Sagamihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Sagamihara is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.53 ¥1,348

63.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.01 ¥5,057

91.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.91 ¥775

107.54%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.46 ¥389

32.52%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.23 ¥195

73.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.86 ¥135

106.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.11 ¥492

19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.08 ¥486

22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.93 ¥147

23.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.62 ¥97.4

188.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.18 ¥660

-40.43%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.83 ¥290

113.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$15.74 ¥2,486

-29.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.96 ¥1,099

-4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$17.26 ¥2,727

-14.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.27 ¥358

-19.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.60 ¥252

28.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$5.02 ¥794

-52.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$7.96 ¥1,257

-51.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.90 ¥616

-74.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$4.74 ¥749

-78.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.13 ¥178

39.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.42 ¥67.1

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.98 ¥629

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.59 ¥1,515

-35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.61 ¥412

-51.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.13 ¥337

-4.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.32 ¥209

15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$47.24 ¥7,463

-40.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.09 ¥488

7.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.81 ¥444

-51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$15.55 ¥2,457

27.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 ¥167

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.4K ¥3.4M

39.24%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

124.24%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$117 ¥18.5K

45.80%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.13 ¥3,654

1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.04 ¥4,904

-24.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$58.1 ¥9,172

16.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.33 ¥1,790

-17.92%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$580 ¥91.6K

-8.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.5K ¥2.3M

15.29%

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

$35.82 ¥5,659

21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$61.4 ¥9,695

79.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$97.3 ¥15.4K

22.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$468 ¥73.9K

77.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$362 ¥57.1K

72.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,074 ¥169.7K

48.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$845 ¥133.5K

38.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,844 ¥765.3K

20.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,779 ¥281.0K

118.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

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 Sagamihara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Sagamihara

$362 28.8% 41.9% $260

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Sagamihara

$321 25.6% 24.6% $63

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Sagamihara

$143 11.3% 36% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Sagamihara

$172 13.6% 21.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Sagamihara

$110 8.7% 34.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Sagamihara

$81 6.4% 6.3% $5.4

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sagamihara

$70 5.5% 57.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $468 in Sagamihara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $32.00 in Sagamihara. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $321 in Sagamihara – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

725,493

💱 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, 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 $1,886 in Sagamihara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 69% less in Sagamihara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $580 in Sagamihara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sagamihara, where all-in costs run around $1,257, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Sagamihara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sagamihara – 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 Sagamihara. 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.