Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,104 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
Learn more

Tsukuba Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Tsukuba

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,104 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Tsukuba $1,104

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,754 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Tsukuba $1,754

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,404 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Tsukuba $2,404

Budapest costs about 47% more than Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Tsukuba is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.48 ¥1,024

115.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$33.35 ¥5,269

83.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.01 ¥791

103.39%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.74 ¥433

18.98%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.03 ¥162

107.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.74 ¥118

140.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.19 ¥347

69.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.21 ¥506

17.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.45 ¥229

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.67 ¥264

7.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$3.09 ¥488

-19.42%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.09 ¥330

86.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.21 ¥1,614

8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.03 ¥952

9.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.35 ¥2,267

2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.83 ¥921

-68.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.82 ¥445

-27.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$2.80 ¥443

-15.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.12 ¥650

-5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$2.63 ¥416

-62.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.56 ¥405

-60.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.85 ¥134

85.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.81 ¥128

-17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.76 ¥594

111.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.16 ¥973

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.80 ¥284

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.11 ¥333

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.45 ¥230

4.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$52.8 ¥8,337

-46.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.18 ¥502

4.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$2.70 ¥426

-49.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$20.78 ¥3,282

-4.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.05 ¥166

73.33%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

37.72%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$18.5K ¥2.9M

82.94%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$129 ¥20.4K

32.20%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.48 ¥3,868

-3.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$32.65 ¥5,158

-28.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$53.6 ¥8,472

25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.38 ¥1,955

-24.88%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$94.2 ¥14.9K

466.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

13.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$46.72 ¥7,382

113.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.27 ¥5,888

16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$38.06 ¥6,013

189.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$41.11 ¥6,495

189.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$466 ¥73.6K

78.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$281 ¥44.4K

121.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,081 ¥170.7K

47.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$629 ¥99.4K

85.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$4,648 ¥734.4K

25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,980 ¥312.8K

96.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,449 ¥228.8K

13.99%

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 Tsukuba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Tsukuba

$281 25.4% 54.8% $341

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Tsukuba

$285 25.8% 10.6% $27

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Tsukuba

$124 11.3% 44.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Tsukuba

$187 16.9% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Tsukuba

$73 6.7% 56.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Tsukuba

$78 7.1% 9% $7.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Tsukuba

$75 6.8% 70.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $466 in Tsukuba. 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 14% 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 $33.00 in Tsukuba. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $285 in Tsukuba – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

00:54 12:54 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

230,398

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Tsukuba 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 47%, 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 $1,656 in Tsukuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 88% less in Tsukuba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $94.2 in Tsukuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tsukuba, where all-in costs run around $1,104, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Tsukuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tsukuba – 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 Tsukuba. 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.