Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Utsunomiya: $1,212 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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 Utsunomiya
Learn more

Utsunomiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Utsunomiya

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,212 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Utsunomiya $1,212

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,948 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Utsunomiya $1,948

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,685 in Utsunomiya, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Utsunomiya $2,685

Budapest costs about 34% more than Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Utsunomiya is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$6.11 ¥965

128.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$17.09 ¥2,701

258.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$4.72 ¥745

115.89%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.52 ¥556

-7.39%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.06 ¥167

101.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.81 ¥128

119.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.09 ¥488

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.93 ¥305

95.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.38 ¥218

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.72 ¥271

4.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$5.59 ¥883

-55.46%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.22 ¥350

75.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.27 ¥1,780

-1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.80 ¥1,075

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$16.84 ¥2,660

-12.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$4.61 ¥728

-60.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.35 ¥372

-12.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$4.38 ¥693

-45.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$5.36 ¥848

-27.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$3.41 ¥539

-70.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$2.97 ¥470

-66.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.20 ¥190

31.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.76 ¥120

-11.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.95 ¥623

101.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$9.52 ¥1,504

-34.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.71 ¥270

-25.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.64 ¥417

-23.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.58 ¥249

-3.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$54.9 ¥8,670

-48.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.07 ¥484

7.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$3.16 ¥500

-56.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$18.83 ¥2,975

5.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.06 ¥167

71.70%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

37.53%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

120.30%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$146 ¥23.0K

17.58%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.91 ¥3,461

7.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$30.44 ¥4,808

-23.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$52.1 ¥8,234

29.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$12.79 ¥2,020

47.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$12.84 ¥2,029

-27.57%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$524 ¥82.8K

1.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-7.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$55.1 ¥8,712

80.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$32.36 ¥5,113

34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$65.7 ¥10.4K

68.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$71.3 ¥11.3K

66.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$509 ¥80.4K

63.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$298 ¥47.1K

108.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$939 ¥148.4K

69.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$803 ¥126.9K

45.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,897 ¥615.7K

49.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,781 ¥281.4K

118.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

2.25

186.67%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Utsunomiya

$298 24.6% 52.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Utsunomiya

$325 26.8% 26% $67

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.9% 40.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Utsunomiya

$198 16.3% 9.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Utsunomiya

$101 8.3% 39.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Utsunomiya

$78 6.4% 9.7% $8.3

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Utsunomiya

$80 6.6% 81% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $509 in Utsunomiya. 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 $17.00 in Utsunomiya. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $325 in Utsunomiya – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

18:23 6:23 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

519,217

💱 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 Utsunomiya 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 34%, 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 $1,818 in Utsunomiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 96% less in Utsunomiya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $524 in Utsunomiya. 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 Utsunomiya, where all-in costs run around $1,212, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Utsunomiya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Utsunomiya – 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 Utsunomiya. 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.