Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Yokohama: $1,317 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
Learn more

Yokohama Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Yokohama

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,317 in Yokohama, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Yokohama $1,317

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,057 in Yokohama, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Yokohama $2,057

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,797 in Yokohama, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Yokohama $2,797

Budapest costs about 23% more than Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Yokohama is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$6.45 ¥1,020

116.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$40.79 ¥6,446

47.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$5.15 ¥813

93.40%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$3.39 ¥536

-0.29%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$1.05 ¥166

102.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.73 ¥116

156.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$2.56 ¥405

46.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$3.25 ¥514

9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.44 ¥227

-21.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.71 ¥271

7.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.65 ¥578

-34.52%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$2.02 ¥319

89.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$10.39 ¥1,642

9.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$6.23 ¥984

8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$14.32 ¥2,263

2.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$5.69 ¥899

-67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$2.75 ¥434

-26.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.96 ¥468

-20.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$4.27 ¥675

-11.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$2.61 ¥413

-63.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$2.58 ¥407

-60.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.24 ¥196

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.82 ¥130

-19.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$3.85 ¥609

106.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$6.47 ¥1,023

-7.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$1.75 ¥277

-25.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.11 ¥334

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$1.38 ¥218

8.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$57.4 ¥9,078

-51.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$3.15 ¥498

4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$2.71 ¥429

-52.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$20.27 ¥3,204

-2.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.12 ¥177

61.61%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

35.14%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$18.5K ¥2.9M

84.27%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$132 ¥20.8K

29.23%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$24.29 ¥3,839

-1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$31.83 ¥5,031

-26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$50.0 ¥7,905

32.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$11.70 ¥1,849

63.93%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$12.46 ¥1,970

-23.60%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$635 ¥100.4K

-15.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$61.5 ¥9,714

64.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$36.30 ¥5,738

18.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$62.8 ¥9,919

79.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$101 ¥16.0K

17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$1,192 ¥188.4K

-32.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$441 ¥69.6K

42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$2,271 ¥358.9K

-31.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$840 ¥132.8K

38.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$6,367 ¥1.0M

-11.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$4,393 ¥694.4K

-9.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$2,676 ¥422.9K

-39.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

2.64

143.56%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Yokohama

$441 33.2% 30% $189

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Yokohama

$291 22% 13.1% $34

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Yokohama

$134 10.1% 40.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Yokohama

$188 14.2% 13.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Yokohama

$118 8.9% 30.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Yokohama

$75 5.7% 12.1% $10

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Yokohama

$80 6% 83.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $1,192 in Yokohama. 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 65% higher in Yokohama, 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $41.00 in Yokohama. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $291 in Yokohama – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

7 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,777,491

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Yokohama 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,976 in Yokohama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 108% less in Yokohama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $635 in Yokohama. 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 Yokohama, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Yokohama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yokohama – 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 Yokohama. 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.