Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Sendai

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,161 in Sendai, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Sendai $1,161

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,835 in Sendai, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Sendai $1,835

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,510 in Sendai, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Sendai $2,510

Budapest costs about 41% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Sendai is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.23 ¥984

125.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$34.65 ¥5,474

75.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.50 ¥711

130.44%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.62 ¥571

-4.42%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$0.94 ¥149

120.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.78 ¥124

126.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.87 ¥295

97.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$3.20 ¥505

18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.45 ¥229

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.44 ¥227

28.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$6.64 ¥1,048

-63.86%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.09 ¥330

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.89 ¥1,721

4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$11.91 ¥1,881

-42.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$9.00 ¥1,422

61.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$3.55 ¥560

-47.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.20 ¥348

-2.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$4.47 ¥707

-48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.24 ¥512

24.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.58 ¥407

-60.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.27 ¥358

-56.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.41 ¥222

12.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$1.25 ¥198

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$4.44 ¥701

80.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.01 ¥1,107

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.57 ¥248

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.61 ¥413

-21.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.47 ¥232

8.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$37.26 ¥5,886

-26.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$5.23 ¥826

-34.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$18.42 ¥2,910

11.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.06 ¥168

82.08%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

84.04%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$24.8K ¥3.9M

39.91%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$138 ¥21.8K

26.56%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$30.52 ¥4,822

-22.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$34.78 ¥5,495

-32.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$44.60 ¥7,046

54.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$12.84 ¥2,029

50.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$10.07 ¥1,590

2.38%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$229 ¥36.2K

133.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,792 ¥599.0K

344.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$56.1 ¥8,868

77.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$33.92 ¥5,359

27.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$35.34 ¥5,583

216.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$53.5 ¥8,455

122.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$560 ¥88.4K

48.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$327 ¥51.7K

92.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$692 ¥109.4K

129.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$715 ¥112.9K

67.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$2,638 ¥416.8K

116.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,424 ¥225.0K

177.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$996 ¥157.3K

71.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.73

136.26%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Sendai

$327 28.2% 48% $302

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Sendai

$308 26.5% 17.7% $46

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Sendai

$129 11.1% 42.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Sendai

$203 17.5% 8.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Sendai

$81 6.9% 52.1% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 27.7% $25

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Sendai

$48 * 4.2% 10% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $560 in Sendai. 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 72% 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 $35.00 in Sendai. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $308 in Sendai – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

01:50 1:50 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,082,159

💱 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)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, 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 $1,742 in Sendai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 35% less in Sendai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $229 in Sendai. 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 Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sendai – 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 Sendai. 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.