Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibaraki and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Ibaraki vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Ibaraki $1,130
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,756 per month in Ibaraki vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Ibaraki $1,756
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,383 per month in Ibaraki vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Ibaraki $2,383
Budapest $3,483

Ibaraki is about 31% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ibaraki sits 17% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,016

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-54.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.94 ¥4,888

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-49.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥781

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-52.27%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥480

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-12.14%

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

$1.15 ¥182

$2.07 Ft 669

-44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$1.77 Ft 572

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 ¥421

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ¥499

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.16 Ft 374

132.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.85 Ft 598

-16.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 ¥638

$2.40 Ft 776

68.33%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥334

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-46.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-7.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ¥1,053

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 ¥2,594

$14.49 Ft 4,682

13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥599

$1.88 Ft 607

101.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$2.14 Ft 693

5.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥443

$2.30 Ft 744

22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$4.04 Ft 1,304

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$1.02 Ft 329

138.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$0.99 Ft 320

158.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.58 Ft 510

-21.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥134

$0.70 Ft 225

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ¥526

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-58.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 ¥1,052

$6.18 Ft 1,997

7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥282

$1.24 Ft 401

43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.06 Ft 666

4.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 ¥266

$1.59 Ft 513

5.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.3 ¥8,582

$27.52 Ft 8,893

97.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 ¥735

$3.43 Ft 1,110

35.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ¥444

$1.33 Ft 431

111.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 ¥2,890

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-10.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥178

$1.93 Ft 624

-41.45%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-26.70%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-56.40%

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

$136 ¥21.5K

$175 Ft 56.4K

-22.14%

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

$23.88 ¥3,773

$23.62 Ft 7,631

1.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.10 ¥4,913

$23.60 Ft 7,625

31.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥8,140

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 ¥2,046

$10.31 Ft 3,333

25.61%

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

$464 ¥73.3K

$535 Ft 172.9K

-13.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥2.1M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-19.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.48 ¥4,184

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-73.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.63 ¥4,997

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$112 Ft 36.1K

-39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 ¥12.6K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ¥63.4K

$832 Ft 268.8K

-51.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 ¥41.1K

$629 Ft 203.3K

-58.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 ¥174.2K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-30.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 ¥83.3K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-55.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,937 ¥622.0K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-31.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,554 ¥245.6K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-60.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,553 ¥403.3K

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

49.12%

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 Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ibaraki

$300 26.5%

Budapest

$262 16% 12.6% $38

Accommodation & Living

Ibaraki

$260 23%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 142% $369

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibaraki

$191 16.9%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 16.2% $31

Eating Out

Ibaraki

$130 11.5%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 74.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ibaraki

$92 8.2%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 82.3% $76

Getting Around

Ibaraki

$80 7.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 44.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Ibaraki

$77 6.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 15.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Ibaraki 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.

Salaries run about 49% higher in Ibaraki, 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 $31.00 in Ibaraki versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Ibaraki vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

7 h behind Ibaraki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

287,730

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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Between locations

Ibaraki Budapest 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ibaraki
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

Ibaraki vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 97% less in Ibaraki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $464 per month in Ibaraki and $535 in Budapest. 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 Ibaraki, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Ibaraki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ibaraki – 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 Ibaraki. 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.