Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawagoe and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,084 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,084

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,084 per month in Kawagoe vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawagoe $1,084
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,747 per month in Kawagoe vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawagoe $1,747
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,409 per month in Kawagoe vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawagoe $2,409
Budapest $3,429

Kawagoe is about 33% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-54.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.89 ¥6,460

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-33.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-50.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥539

$3.26 Ft 1,055

4.60%

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

$0.93 ¥146

$2.14 Ft 690

-56.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥78.0

$1.78 Ft 577

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 ¥304

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-48.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ¥417

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-29.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.15 Ft 371

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥203

$1.79 Ft 578

-27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.49 Ft 804

44.18%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-44.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.24 ¥987

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-5.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 ¥2,318

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$1.83 Ft 591

206.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 ¥364

$2.05 Ft 661

12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.37 Ft 765

18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-20.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$0.99 Ft 320

157.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.00 Ft 322

87.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.58 Ft 511

-17.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.67 Ft 216

10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥609

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-51.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 ¥770

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.27 Ft 411

37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.03 Ft 654

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 ¥471

$1.52 Ft 490

96.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.7 ¥8,488

$28.02 Ft 9,053

91.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-3.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥431

$1.37 Ft 442

99.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.42 ¥3,226

$19.83 Ft 6,406

2.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.82 Ft 589

-39.01%

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

$15.7K ¥2.5M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-47.21%

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

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-61.95%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-23.51%

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

$22.38 ¥3,536

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.77 ¥5,020

$23.29 Ft 7,526

36.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.88 ¥6,932

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-35.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.08 ¥5,068

$18.89 Ft 6,104

69.83%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$9.30 Ft 3,004

19.57%

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

$315 ¥49.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-40.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,305 ¥996.1K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-62.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.87 ¥5,035

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-68.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-23.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.84 ¥6,926

$110 Ft 35.7K

-60.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-19.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 ¥65.8K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-49.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥43.1K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-56.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 ¥133.4K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-47.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥93.8K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-49.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,561 ¥404.5K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-56.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 ¥278.0K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-54.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,614 ¥255.0K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-2.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.6

6.45

-75.19%

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

Last update for Kawagoe: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawagoe

$273 25.2%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 128% $349

Groceries & Markets

Kawagoe

$257 23.7%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawagoe

$185 17.1%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 17.8% $33

Eating Out

Kawagoe

$128 11.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 74.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Kawagoe

$92 8.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 81.4% $75

Getting Around

Kawagoe

$83 7.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 46.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Kawagoe

$66 6.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 30.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $417 in Kawagoe 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 2% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Kawagoe versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $258 – making Kawagoe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

7 h behind Kawagoe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

350,745

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 →

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Between locations

Kawagoe Budapest 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawagoe
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

Kawagoe vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,626 per month in Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe, 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 Kawagoe. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe, where all-in costs run around $1,084, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kawagoe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kawagoe – 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 Kawagoe. 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.