Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukuoka: $1,259 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fukuoka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,259
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fukuoka and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Fukuoka and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Fukuoka $1,259
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,001 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Fukuoka $2,001
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Fukuoka vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Fukuoka $2,743
  • Budapest $3,429

Fukuoka is about 22% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Fukuoka sits 7% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.20 ¥1,138
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-48.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.93 ¥6,783
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-29.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.84 ¥922
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-42.69%
Cappuccino
$3.77 ¥596
$3.26 Ft 1,055
15.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 ¥163
$2.14 Ft 690
-51.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ¥111
$1.78 Ft 577
-60.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.79 ¥599
$3.71 Ft 1,198
2.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 ¥344
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-42.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ¥243
$1.15 Ft 371
33.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.91 ¥302
$1.79 Ft 578
6.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.64 ¥1,050
$2.49 Ft 804
166.67%
Eggs
$2.29 ¥362
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-41.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.31 ¥2,893
$11.10 Ft 3,587
64.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 ¥853
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-18.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.00 ¥3,002
$14.69 Ft 4,745
29.34%
Apples (1kg)
$3.54 ¥560
$1.83 Ft 591
93.44%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 ¥287
$2.05 Ft 661
-11.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 ¥453
$2.37 Ft 765
21.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 ¥531
$3.90 Ft 1,260
-13.85%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 ¥340
$0.99 Ft 320
117.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.59 ¥409
$1.00 Ft 322
159.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ¥161
$1.58 Ft 511
-35.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ¥147
$0.67 Ft 216
38.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥599
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-52.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.49 ¥1,025
$6.22 Ft 2,009
4.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ¥270
$1.27 Ft 411
34.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ¥286
$2.03 Ft 654
-10.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 ¥232
$1.52 Ft 490
-3.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.37 ¥6,537
$28.02 Ft 9,053
47.64%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 ¥618
$3.31 Ft 1,070
18.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 ¥331
$1.37 Ft 442
52.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.67 ¥2,792
$19.83 Ft 6,406
-10.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.82 Ft 589
-39.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K ¥3.4M
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-27.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.6K ¥2.8M
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-47.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$207 ¥32.8K
$171 Ft 55.3K
21.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.04 ¥3,955
$23.51 Ft 7,596
6.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.65 ¥5,159
$23.29 Ft 7,526
40.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.8 ¥8,506
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-20.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.91 ¥1,724
$9.30 Ft 3,004
17.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 ¥19.8K
$533 Ft 172.3K
-76.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ¥2.0M
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-26.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.44 ¥7,811
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-50.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.89 ¥4,090
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-40.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.1 ¥10.6K
$110 Ft 35.7K
-39.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.07 ¥7,594
$119 Ft 38.4K
-59.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$486 ¥76.8K
$830 Ft 268.3K
-41.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$303 ¥47.8K
$622 Ft 200.9K
-51.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,233 ¥194.8K
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-22.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$730 ¥115.4K
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-37.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,329 ¥1.0M
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
8.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,696 ¥425.9K
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-30.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fukuoka
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,657 ¥261.8K
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
0.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.97
6.45
-69.46%

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

Last update for Fukuoka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Fukuoka
$318
Budapest
$258 18.9% $60
Accommodation & Living
Fukuoka
$303
Budapest
$622 106% $319
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fukuoka
$265
Budapest
$218 17.8% $47
Eating Out
Fukuoka
$151
Budapest
$223 48.1% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Fukuoka
$86
Budapest
$168 95.5% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Fukuoka
$76
Budapest
$86 13.8% $10
Getting Around
Fukuoka
$62
Budapest
$44 28.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $486 in Fukuoka versus $830 in Budapest. 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 0% higher in Fukuoka, 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 $43.00 in Fukuoka versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Fukuoka vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Fukuoka
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
16:40 4:40 PM
09:40 9:40 AM
7 h behind Fukuoka
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,612,392
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fukuoka Budapest 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fukuoka
  • Budapest

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
Fukuoka vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Fukuoka?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,889 per month in Fukuoka and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fukuoka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 48% less in Fukuoka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Fukuoka and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Fukuoka or in Budapest?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Fukuoka, where all-in costs run around $1,259, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Fukuoka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Fukuoka or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Fukuoka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Fukuoka or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Fukuoka. 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.

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