Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,237 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Ube
Learn more

Ube Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ube

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,237 in Ube, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ube $1,237

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,931 in Ube, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ube $1,931

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,625 in Ube, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ube $2,625

Budapest costs about 31% more than Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ube is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.94 ¥1,097

100.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$34.14 ¥5,394

79.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.52 ¥873

84.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.19 ¥504

2.19%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.08 ¥171

98.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.76 ¥121

134.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.03 ¥321

82.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.08 ¥487

22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.51 ¥239

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.60 ¥252

11.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$4.73 ¥747

-47.36%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.28 ¥361

71.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.00 ¥1,581

11.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.43 ¥1,016

2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$15.58 ¥2,462

-5.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$5.41 ¥854

-66.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.63 ¥415

-22.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.07 ¥643

-41.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$4.59 ¥725

-15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.17 ¥500

-68.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.67 ¥422

-62.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.38 ¥218

14.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.87 ¥138

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.20 ¥664

89.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.56 ¥1,036

-5.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.00 ¥316

-36.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.37 ¥374

-14.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.66 ¥263

-8.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$55.6 ¥8,781

-49.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.52 ¥556

-5.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.00 ¥474

-54.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$20.87 ¥3,297

-4.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.18 ¥187

54.24%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

30.56%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$17.1K ¥2.7M

97.57%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$142 ¥22.5K

20.31%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$27.17 ¥4,293

-13.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$33.35 ¥5,268

-30.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$57.6 ¥9,103

17.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$13.79 ¥2,179

36.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$13.14 ¥2,076

-29.22%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$280 ¥44.2K

90.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$13.3K ¥2.1M

25.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$43.41 ¥6,859

129.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$30.01 ¥4,741

44.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$59.1 ¥9,343

86.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$92.3 ¥14.6K

28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$473 ¥74.7K

75.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$326 ¥51.4K

91.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$869 ¥137.3K

83.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$660 ¥104.3K

77.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,817 ¥445.1K

107.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,733 ¥273.7K

124.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.81

256.35%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ube: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ube

$326 26.3% 47.6% $296

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ube

$309 25% 19.7% $51

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ube

$134 10.8% 39.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ube

$203 16.4% 7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ube

$101 8.2% 39.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ube

$84 6.8% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ube

$81 6.5% 82.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $473 in Ube. 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 $34.00 in Ube. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $309 in Ube – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

162,570

💱 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 Ube 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, 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 $1,856 in Ube. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 98% less in Ube. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $280 in Ube. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,237, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ube it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ube – 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 Ube. 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.