Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,304 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,304 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,304
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,052
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,800 per month in Kanazawa vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,800
Budapest $3,429

Kanazawa is about 19% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kanazawa sits 3% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ¥1,175

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-46.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.25 ¥4,937

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-48.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-51.03%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥377

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-26.99%

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

$1.13 ¥178

$2.14 Ft 690

-47.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.2

$1.78 Ft 577

-67.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥359

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-39.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.15 Ft 371

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$1.79 Ft 578

-25.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥873

$2.49 Ft 804

121.69%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 ¥2,024

$11.10 Ft 3,587

15.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 ¥1,505

$6.62 Ft 2,139

43.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,132

$14.69 Ft 4,745

121.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥584

$1.83 Ft 591

101.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥366

$2.05 Ft 661

13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$2.37 Ft 765

159.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 ¥655

$3.90 Ft 1,260

6.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ¥582

$0.99 Ft 320

271.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ¥542

$1.00 Ft 322

243.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.58 Ft 511

-18.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥151

$0.67 Ft 216

43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ¥542

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-56.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 ¥1,257

$6.22 Ft 2,009

27.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.27 Ft 411

53.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥240

$2.03 Ft 654

-25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.52 Ft 490

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 ¥8,568

$28.02 Ft 9,053

93.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥491

$1.37 Ft 442

127.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.94 ¥4,257

$19.83 Ft 6,406

35.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.82 Ft 589

-42.31%

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

$20.1K ¥3.2M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-32.49%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-51.51%

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

$146 ¥23.1K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-14.45%

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

$23.56 ¥3,722

$23.51 Ft 7,596

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.65 ¥6,738

$23.29 Ft 7,526

83.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ¥6,644

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-37.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$9.30 Ft 3,004

23.33%

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

$318 ¥50.2K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-40.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,093 ¥962.6K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-63.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.09 ¥7,756

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-50.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.98 ¥3,947

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-42.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.39 ¥7,329

$110 Ft 35.7K

-57.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-45.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥71.8K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥56.2K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-42.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 ¥158.6K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ¥121.2K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-34.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,757 ¥751.5K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-18.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 ¥297.9K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-51.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,869 ¥295.3K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

13.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

6.45

-64.65%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$384 29.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 32.7% $126

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$356 27.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 74.8% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$213 16.3%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 2.5% $5.3

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$125 9.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 79% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$83 6.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 102% $84

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$79 6.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 43.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$65 5%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 32.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $454 in Kanazawa 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 13% higher in Kanazawa, 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 Kanazawa versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Kanazawa vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

15:17 3:17 PM

7 h behind Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

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 19, 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 19, 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

Kanazawa Budapest 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kanazawa
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

Kanazawa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Kanazawa 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 Kanazawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $318 per month in Kanazawa and $533 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 Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,304, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kanazawa – 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 Kanazawa. 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.