Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fukushima 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 Fukushima and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Fukushima vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Fukushima $1,165
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,826 per month in Fukushima vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Fukushima $1,826
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,487 per month in Fukushima vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Fukushima $2,487
Budapest $3,483

Fukushima is about 29% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fukushima sits 14% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 ¥930

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-58.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥4,727

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-50.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥703

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-57.09%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ¥404

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-26.30%

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

$0.94 ¥148

$2.07 Ft 669

-54.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$1.77 Ft 572

-62.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥412

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.16 Ft 374

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.85 Ft 598

-16.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$2.40 Ft 776

70.00%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-47.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ¥1,639

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-8.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 ¥1,057

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.64 ¥2,629

$14.49 Ft 4,682

14.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 ¥596

$1.88 Ft 607

100.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$2.14 Ft 693

5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥443

$2.30 Ft 744

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥642

$4.04 Ft 1,304

0.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$1.02 Ft 329

143.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥406

$0.99 Ft 320

159.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥205

$1.58 Ft 510

-18.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥132

$0.70 Ft 225

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-51.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 ¥1,077

$6.18 Ft 1,997

10.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥291

$1.24 Ft 401

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$2.06 Ft 666

3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.59 Ft 513

-6.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.19 ¥7,613

$27.52 Ft 8,893

75.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-7.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.33 Ft 431

102.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 ¥3,342

$20.45 Ft 6,607

3.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.93 Ft 624

-47.15%

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

$20.2K ¥3.2M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-30.84%

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

$15.6K ¥2.5M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-55.11%

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

$126 ¥19.9K

$175 Ft 56.4K

-27.72%

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

$21.15 ¥3,342

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-10.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 ¥4,746

$23.60 Ft 7,625

27.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,154

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-25.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$11.70 ¥1,849

$10.31 Ft 3,333

13.48%

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

$453 ¥71.6K

$535 Ft 172.9K

-15.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ¥1.8M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-32.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.93 ¥7,414

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-53.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.00 ¥5,688

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-16.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 ¥10.2K

$112 Ft 36.1K

-42.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥13.3K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-29.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ¥84.5K

$832 Ft 268.8K

-35.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.5K

$629 Ft 203.3K

-47.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ¥160.9K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 ¥111.4K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-41.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,897 ¥615.6K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-31.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-52.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

6.45

-65.74%

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

Last update for Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukushima

$333 28.5%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 89.2% $297

Groceries & Markets

Fukushima

$288 24.7%

Budapest

$262 16% 9.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukushima

$177 15.2%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 25% $44

Eating Out

Fukushima

$117 10%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 93.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Fukushima

$104 9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 61.2% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Fukushima

$75 6.4%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 19.3% $14

Getting Around

Fukushima

$71 6.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 37.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $535 in Fukushima versus $832 in Budapest. 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 $30.00 in Fukushima versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Fukushima vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

23:20 11:20 PM

7 h behind Fukushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,693

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Fukushima Budapest 8,900 km ≈ 12 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

Fukushima vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,748 per month in Fukushima and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 75% less in Fukushima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $453 per month in Fukushima and $535 in Budapest. 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 Fukushima, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Fukushima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Fukushima – 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 Fukushima. 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.