Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,332 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Japan is 6.1% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 17.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Japan is 13.2% cheaper than Budapest without rent, and 23.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.27 ¥993
$13.99 Ft 4,551
-55.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.23 ¥5,101
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
-46.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.08 ¥805
$9.96 Ft 3,241
-49.00%
Cappuccino
$3.11 ¥492
$3.38 Ft 1,100
-7.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 ¥178
$2.13 Ft 692
-47.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$1.87 Ft 608
-60.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 ¥515
$3.75 Ft 1,221
-13.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ¥590
$3.57 Ft 1,162
4.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 ¥236
$1.13 Ft 368
31.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ¥229
$1.84 Ft 599
-21.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.94 ¥782
$2.39 Ft 777
106.69%
Eggs
$2.11 ¥333
$3.83 Ft 1,245
-44.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.44 ¥1,810
$11.33 Ft 3,686
0.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.32 ¥1,000
$6.74 Ft 2,192
-6.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.80 ¥2,817
$14.69 Ft 4,780
21.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.80 ¥760
$1.84 Ft 597
160.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 ¥388
$2.01 Ft 653
21.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.29 ¥680
$2.36 Ft 767
81.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.52 ¥715
$3.77 Ft 1,226
19.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.70 ¥428
$0.96 Ft 313
181.25%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 ¥427
$1.03 Ft 334
162.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ¥211
$1.56 Ft 509
-14.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 ¥140
$0.66 Ft 216
34.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.88 ¥614
$7.96 Ft 2,591
-51.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 ¥1,186
$6.01 Ft 1,954
24.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 ¥301
$1.30 Ft 421
46.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 ¥415
$2.08 Ft 676
25.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Japan
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.36 ¥215
$1.50 Ft 489
-9.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.6 ¥9,122
$27.61 Ft 8,982
108.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.66 ¥578
$3.30 Ft 1,074
10.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.16 ¥499
$1.30 Ft 424
143.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.05 ¥3,174
$19.78 Ft 6,436
1.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥170
$1.81 Ft 591
-40.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K ¥3.4M
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
-26.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥2.5M
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
-52.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 ¥24.7K
$170 Ft 55.3K
-8.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.21 ¥3,831
$23.98 Ft 7,802
0.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.72 ¥5,178
$23.42 Ft 7,621
39.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.6 ¥8,326
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
-20.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.92 ¥2,836
$19.18 Ft 6,239
-6.57%
Cinema Ticket
$12.84 ¥2,032
$9.52 Ft 3,098
34.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$544 ¥86.2K
$537 Ft 174.6K
1.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.0K ¥1.9M
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
-27.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.82 ¥7,409
$101 Ft 33.0K
-53.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.43 ¥4,657
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
-31.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.8 ¥9,774
$113 Ft 36.7K
-45.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 ¥12.4K
$119 Ft 38.6K
-34.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Japan
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$569 ¥90.1K
$805 Ft 262.0K
-29.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 ¥61.7K
$629 Ft 204.7K
-37.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,310 ¥207.4K
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
-15.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$770 ¥121.8K
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
-34.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,494 ¥869.3K
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
-2.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,810 ¥444.6K
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
-29.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Japan
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,077 ¥328.7K
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
27.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.13
6.43
-66.87%

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

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Japan
$390
Budapest
$629 61.3% $239
Groceries & Markets
Japan
$315
Budapest
$258 18.1% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
$213
Budapest
$217 2.1% $4.4
Eating Out
Japan
$134
Budapest
$224 67.5% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Japan
$97
Budapest
$169 73.8% $72
Getting Around
Japan
$83
Budapest
$43 47.4% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Japan
$78
Budapest
$85 8.9% $7
Good to know
🇯🇵 Japan
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
15:34 3:34 PM
08:34 8:34 AM
7 h behind Japan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
125,440,000
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Japanese Yen JPY ¥
Hungarian Forint HUF Ft
📈 Exchange rate
1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD
1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR
1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD
1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Japan Budapest 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Japan
  • 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

Japan vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
🇨🇳 China
$784
/mo nomad
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,199
/mo nomad
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,332
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
Show more

Similar countries

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size Current Prices by City Current Prices by Country World Clock Currency Converter
Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?