Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Wakayama

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,276 in Wakayama, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Wakayama $1,276

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $2,031 in Wakayama, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Wakayama $2,031

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,785 in Wakayama, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Wakayama $2,785

Budapest costs about 29% more than Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Wakayama is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.47 ¥1,022

117.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$31.22 ¥4,932

95.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$4.89 ¥773

112.07%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$2.46 ¥389

40.65%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.25 ¥197

65.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.86 ¥136

105.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$3.20 ¥506

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.85 ¥293

105.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.57 ¥248

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.53 ¥242

20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$4.27 ¥675

-43.79%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.11 ¥334

89.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$16.04 ¥2,534

-28.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$7.05 ¥1,114

-2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$17.10 ¥2,701

-15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$8.20 ¥1,296

-77.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$3.02 ¥478

-29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$5.15 ¥814

-55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$7.94 ¥1,255

-49.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$4.01 ¥633

-74.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$4.59 ¥726

-78.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.14 ¥179

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.88 ¥139

-20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.99 ¥630

101.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$9.33 ¥1,475

-33.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.49 ¥393

-50.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.15 ¥340

-4.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$1.50 ¥236

6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$53.8 ¥8,496

-48.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.07 ¥485

11.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$2.91 ¥460

-54.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$15.69 ¥2,478

30.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.06 ¥167

82.08%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

32.56%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

130.90%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$117 ¥18.4K

49.55%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$23.45 ¥3,705

0.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$31.45 ¥4,968

-24.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$51.3 ¥8,109

34.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.21 ¥1,771

-8.03%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$564 ¥89.1K

-5.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

13.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$49.37 ¥7,800

102.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$35.42 ¥5,596

22.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$59.4 ¥9,385

88.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$98.7 ¥15.6K

20.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$526 ¥83.1K

58.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$337 ¥53.3K

86.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$1,093 ¥172.7K

45.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$738 ¥116.5K

62.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,206 ¥664.5K

35.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,756 ¥277.4K

124.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$3,965 ¥626.4K

-56.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

1.67

286.23%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 46.4% $292

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Wakayama

$382 30% 46.1% $121

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 45.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 22.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 35% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 17.6% $16

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 76% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $526 in Wakayama. 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 132% higher in Wakayama, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $31.00 in Wakayama. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Budapest vs $382 in Wakayama – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

04:56 4:56 AM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

362,163

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Wakayama 8,930 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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,914 in Wakayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 95% less in Wakayama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $564 in Wakayama. 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 Wakayama, where all-in costs run around $1,276, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Wakayama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wakayama – 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 Wakayama. 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.