Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Setagaya-ku $1,183

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,834 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Setagaya-ku $1,834

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,484 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Budapest costs about 37% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Setagaya-ku is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.12 ¥968

127.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$25.64 ¥4,050

138.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.36 ¥690

133.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.97 ¥470

9.76%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.04 ¥165

105.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.65 ¥102

173.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.19 ¥346

69.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.22 ¥508

17.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.23 ¥194

-6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.72 ¥272

4.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.64 ¥575

-31.59%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.17 ¥186

233.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.40 ¥1,643

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.11 ¥965

8.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.25 ¥2,252

3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.59 ¥883

-67.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.74 ¥433

-25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.95 ¥466

-19.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.14 ¥654

-5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.62 ¥415

-62.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.63 ¥416

-61.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.24 ¥196

27.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.56 ¥87.7

19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.79 ¥599

110.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.26 ¥989

-0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.81 ¥287

-29.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.09 ¥330

-2.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.46 ¥231

4.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$50.7 ¥8,012

-44.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.23 ¥510

2.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.66 ¥421

-48.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$20.85 ¥3,294

-4.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.10 ¥174

65.45%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.2K ¥3.4M

40.38%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

82.19%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$131 ¥20.6K

30.99%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$23.82 ¥3,764

-1.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$31.73 ¥5,013

-26.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$55.0 ¥8,691

22.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$11.52 ¥1,820

-19.27%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$636 ¥100.5K

-16.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.7K ¥2.3M

13.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$62.3 ¥9,846

59.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$36.37 ¥5,747

19.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$62.1 ¥9,814

77.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$102 ¥16.2K

16.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$534 ¥84.4K

55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$325 ¥51.4K

91.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,152 ¥182.0K

38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$674 ¥106.4K

73.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,724 ¥588.4K

56.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,635 ¥258.4K

137.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

222.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 47.7% $297

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 8.8% $23

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 45.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 14.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 29.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 9.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 65.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $281 in Setagaya-ku – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

943,664

💱 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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Budapest Setagaya-ku 9,050 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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 37%, 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 $1,775 in Setagaya-ku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 81% less in Setagaya-ku. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $636 in Setagaya-ku. 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 Setagaya-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Setagaya-ku it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Setagaya-ku – 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 Setagaya-ku. 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.