Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kagoshima and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,133 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Kagoshima vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,133
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,887 per month in Kagoshima vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,887
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Kagoshima vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kagoshima $2,641
Budapest $3,429

Kagoshima is about 30% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kagoshima sits 16% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 ¥1,020

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-53.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ¥5,127

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-46.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥856

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-46.81%

Cappuccino

$2.91 ¥459

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-10.74%

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

$1.01 ¥159

$2.14 Ft 690

-52.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$1.78 Ft 577

-57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-42.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.15 Ft 371

18.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.79 Ft 578

-36.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥811

$2.49 Ft 804

106.02%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥325

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-47.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,919

$11.10 Ft 3,587

66.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥863

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-17.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 ¥2,993

$14.69 Ft 4,745

28.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$1.83 Ft 591

100.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥293

$2.05 Ft 661

-9.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.37 Ft 765

17.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥523

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ¥324

$0.99 Ft 320

107.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 ¥290

$1.00 Ft 322

83.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.58 Ft 511

-32.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.67 Ft 216

19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-51.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ¥932

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-5.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.27 Ft 411

-10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥298

$2.03 Ft 654

-6.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.52 Ft 490

-16.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,497

$28.02 Ft 9,053

91.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.31 Ft 1,070

20.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ¥321

$1.37 Ft 442

48.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.27 ¥1,780

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-43.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.82 Ft 589

-42.31%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-26.78%

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

$17.5K ¥2.8M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-48.20%

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

$189 ¥29.8K

$171 Ft 55.3K

10.31%

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

$24.87 ¥3,928

$23.51 Ft 7,596

5.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.44 ¥4,809

$23.29 Ft 7,526

30.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,107

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ¥1,865

$9.30 Ft 3,004

26.99%

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

$124 ¥19.5K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-76.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-26.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.61 ¥7,838

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-50.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.70 ¥4,060

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-40.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ¥10.0K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-42.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥12.0K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.5K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-34.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 ¥35.1K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-64.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 ¥160.3K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 ¥118.2K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-36.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,824 ¥604.2K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-34.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 ¥287.8K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-53.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,831 ¥289.3K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

10.90%

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 Kagoshima: 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

Kagoshima

$295 26.1%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 12.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kagoshima

$244 21.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 10.7% $26

Accommodation & Living

Kagoshima

$222 19.6%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 180% $400

Eating Out

Kagoshima

$127 11.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 76% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Kagoshima

$97 8.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 73.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Kagoshima

$75 6.6%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 14.9% $11

Getting Around

Kagoshima

$73 6.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 39.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Kagoshima 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 11% higher in Kagoshima, 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 $32.00 in Kagoshima versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Kagoshima vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

7 h behind Kagoshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,128

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 17, 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 17, 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

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Between locations

Kagoshima Budapest 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kagoshima
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

Kagoshima vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,700 per month in Kagoshima 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 Kagoshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 92% less in Kagoshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in Kagoshima and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kagoshima, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kagoshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kagoshima – 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 Kagoshima. 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.