Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,481 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,481
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,245 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,245
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $3,009 per month in Kawasaki vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,009
Budapest $3,429

Kawasaki is about 8% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kawasaki and Budapest sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 10%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,220

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-44.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 ¥5,924

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-38.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-50.74%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ¥426

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-17.48%

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

$1.59 ¥251

$2.14 Ft 690

-25.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$1.78 Ft 577

-51.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥484

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.15 Ft 371

32.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.79 Ft 578

-13.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 ¥669

$2.49 Ft 804

69.88%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-45.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 ¥1,751

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 ¥1,047

$6.62 Ft 2,139

0.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.37 ¥2,587

$14.69 Ft 4,745

11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.27 ¥991

$1.83 Ft 591

242.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 ¥428

$2.05 Ft 661

32.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.95 ¥783

$2.37 Ft 765

108.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 ¥842

$3.90 Ft 1,260

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 ¥517

$0.99 Ft 320

230.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$1.00 Ft 322

206.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.58 Ft 511

-27.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.67 Ft 216

22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥605

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 ¥1,483

$6.22 Ft 2,009

50.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.27 Ft 411

88.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ¥429

$2.03 Ft 654

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.52 Ft 490

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 ¥8,072

$28.02 Ft 9,053

82.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-7.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.37 Ft 442

123.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.85 ¥2,978

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-4.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.82 Ft 589

-41.76%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-26.20%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-54.48%

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

$124 ¥19.6K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-27.55%

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

$23.61 ¥3,729

$23.51 Ft 7,596

0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 ¥4,810

$23.29 Ft 7,526

30.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ¥8,560

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-19.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.22 ¥982

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-67.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 ¥1,925

$9.30 Ft 3,004

30.97%

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

$568 ¥89.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

6.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-13.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,914

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-49.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 ¥5,285

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-23.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-41.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥11.2K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 ¥119.2K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 ¥90.9K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-7.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥202.4K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-19.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 ¥161.2K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-12.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,698 ¥742.2K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-19.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,131 ¥494.7K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-19.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,542 ¥401.6K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

53.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

6.45

-68.68%

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

Last update for Kawasaki: 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

Kawasaki

$576 38.9%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$332 22.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 22.3% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$178 12%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 22.4% $40

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$141 9.5%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 57.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$98 6.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 70.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$79 5.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 9.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 42.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $754 in Kawasaki 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 54% higher in Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Kawasaki vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

7 h behind Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

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

Kawasaki Budapest 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kawasaki
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

Kawasaki vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,222 per month in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 82% less in Kawasaki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $568 per month in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kawasaki – 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 Kawasaki. 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.