Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,269 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
Learn more

Tsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tsu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,269 in Tsu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Tsu $1,269

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,979 in Tsu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Tsu $1,979

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,688 in Tsu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Tsu $2,688

Budapest costs about 28% more than Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Tsu is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.48 ¥1,023

115.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.81 ¥2,814

243.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$3.84 ¥606

165.36%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.34 ¥370

39.32%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.19 ¥188

79.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.63 ¥98.8

182.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.00 ¥317

85.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.34 ¥369

61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.51 ¥238

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.26 ¥199

42.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$5.42 ¥856

-54.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.99 ¥315

95.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$12.71 ¥2,008

-12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.73 ¥1,537

-31.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$32.13 ¥5,076

-54.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$3.78 ¥596

-51.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.28 ¥361

-10.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$6.23 ¥985

-61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.19 ¥661

-6.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.86 ¥610

-74.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$3.53 ¥558

-71.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.28 ¥202

23.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$1.01 ¥159

-33.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.52 ¥557

126.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.02 ¥1,266

-22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.03 ¥321

-37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.45 ¥230

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.50 ¥236

1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$52.4 ¥8,283

-46.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.17 ¥502

4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.08 ¥486

-55.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$26.27 ¥4,151

-24.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.07 ¥169

70.09%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.0K ¥3.0M

57.06%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$16.3K ¥2.6M

107.40%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$147 ¥23.3K

16.10%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.31 ¥3,840

-3.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$43.93 ¥6,940

-46.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.9 ¥8,195

30.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$12.83 ¥2,028

47.23%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.17 ¥1,290

13.83%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$318 ¥50.3K

67.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,203 ¥980.0K

170.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$49.88 ¥7,880

99.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$24.95 ¥3,941

74.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$44.99 ¥7,108

145.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$66.1 ¥10.4K

79.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$521 ¥82.4K

59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$327 ¥51.7K

90.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,113 ¥175.9K

43.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$726 ¥114.7K

61.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,165 ¥658.0K

40.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,745 ¥275.8K

122.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,509 ¥238.4K

9.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.9

239.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Tsu

$327 25.8% 47.4% $295

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Tsu

$384 30.2% 48.8% $126

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Tsu

$113 8.9% 49.2% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Tsu

$216 17% 1.1% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Tsu

$84 6.6% 50.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Tsu

$68 5.4% 20.8% $18

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Tsu

$77 6.1% 74% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $521 in Tsu. 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 9% 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 $18.00 in Tsu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $384 in Tsu – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

17:25 5:25 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

279,241

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Tsu 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,903 in Tsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 87% less in Tsu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $318 in Tsu. 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 Tsu, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tsu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tsu – 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 Tsu. 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.