Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichihara and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
Learn more

Ichihara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,194 per month in Ichihara vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ichihara $1,194
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,963 per month in Ichihara vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ichihara $1,963
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,731 per month in Ichihara vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ichihara $2,731
Budapest $3,429

Ichihara is about 26% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ichihara sits 12% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-55.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 ¥6,585

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-51.32%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ¥545

$3.26 Ft 1,055

5.83%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$2.14 Ft 690

-50.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$1.78 Ft 577

-58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-32.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-18.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.15 Ft 371

21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥263

$1.79 Ft 578

-7.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ¥568

$2.49 Ft 804

44.58%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-6.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥933

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 ¥2,298

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-0.95%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥908

$1.83 Ft 591

214.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ¥438

$2.05 Ft 661

35.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.37 Ft 765

18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$3.90 Ft 1,260

5.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$0.99 Ft 320

161.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.00 Ft 322

158.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.58 Ft 511

-19.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.67 Ft 216

17.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥612

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-51.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 ¥991

$6.22 Ft 2,009

0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥271

$1.27 Ft 411

35.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.03 Ft 654

-1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.52 Ft 490

-1.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,389

$28.02 Ft 9,053

89.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ¥435

$1.37 Ft 442

100.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$19.83 Ft 6,406

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.82 Ft 589

-39.01%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-27.45%

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

$18.4K ¥2.9M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-45.45%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-24.51%

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

$24.13 ¥3,812

$23.51 Ft 7,596

2.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ¥4,976

$23.29 Ft 7,526

35.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 ¥7,272

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-31.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 ¥1,964

$9.30 Ft 3,004

33.66%

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

$632 ¥99.9K

$533 Ft 172.3K

18.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-12.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ¥9,981

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-36.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 ¥5,721

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,726

$110 Ft 35.7K

-44.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.9K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-43.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.5K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥166.7K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-33.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥128.8K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-30.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,722 ¥746.0K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-19.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 ¥305.7K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-50.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

6.45

-59.07%

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

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichihara

$326 27.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 90.9% $296

Groceries & Markets

Ichihara

$287 24.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 10.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichihara

$185 15.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 17.9% $33

Eating Out

Ichihara

$132 11.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 68.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Ichihara

$118 9.9%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 42.5% $50

Getting Around

Ichihara

$76 6.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 41.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ichihara

$71 5.9%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 21.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $470 in Ichihara 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Ichihara versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Ichihara vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

21:28 9:28 PM

7 h behind Ichihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,524

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ichihara Budapest 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichihara
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

Ichihara vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,791 per month in Ichihara and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Ichihara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $632 per month in Ichihara and $533 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 Ichihara, where all-in costs run around $1,194, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ichihara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ichihara – 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 Ichihara. 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.