Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagoya: $1,369 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Nagoya
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,369
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,369 per month in Nagoya vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Nagoya $1,369
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,170 per month in Nagoya vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Nagoya $2,170
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,972 per month in Nagoya vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Nagoya $2,972
  • Budapest $3,429

Nagoya is about 15% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nagoya and Budapest sit above the global median – Nagoya by 1%, Budapest by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 ¥1,355
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-38.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.14 ¥4,919
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-49.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.11 ¥808
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-49.85%
Cappuccino
$2.39 ¥377
$3.26 Ft 1,055
-26.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.24 ¥195
$2.14 Ft 690
-42.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ¥135
$1.78 Ft 577
-52.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 ¥489
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-16.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ¥505
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-15.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ¥239
$1.15 Ft 371
31.30%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 ¥241
$1.79 Ft 578
-15.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.03 ¥637
$2.49 Ft 804
61.85%
Eggs
$2.15 ¥339
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-44.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.68 ¥2,477
$11.10 Ft 3,587
41.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.14 ¥1,129
$6.62 Ft 2,139
7.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.92 ¥2,674
$14.69 Ft 4,745
15.18%
Apples (1kg)
$8.42 ¥1,330
$1.83 Ft 591
360.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.90 ¥459
$2.05 Ft 661
41.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.86 ¥768
$2.37 Ft 765
105.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.84 ¥1,238
$3.90 Ft 1,260
101.03%
Potato (1kg)
$4.08 ¥645
$0.99 Ft 320
312.12%
Onion (1kg)
$4.75 ¥750
$1.00 Ft 322
375.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 ¥180
$1.58 Ft 511
-27.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ¥148
$0.67 Ft 216
40.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.86 ¥610
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-51.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.47 ¥1,496
$6.22 Ft 2,009
52.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.49 ¥393
$1.27 Ft 411
96.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 ¥345
$2.03 Ft 654
7.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 ¥235
$1.52 Ft 490
-1.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$118 ¥18.6K
$28.02 Ft 9,053
320.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 ¥505
$3.31 Ft 1,070
-3.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.85 ¥451
$1.37 Ft 442
108.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.80 ¥2,495
$19.83 Ft 6,406
-20.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥173
$1.82 Ft 589
-39.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ¥3.4M
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-27.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.9K ¥2.4M
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-55.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 ¥18.2K
$171 Ft 55.3K
-32.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.65 ¥3,736
$23.51 Ft 7,596
0.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.18 ¥4,926
$23.29 Ft 7,526
33.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.5 ¥7,971
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-25.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.41 ¥2,119
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-29.01%
Cinema Ticket
$11.29 ¥1,784
$9.30 Ft 3,004
21.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$572 ¥90.3K
$533 Ft 172.3K
7.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-11.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.53 ¥7,826
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-50.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.86 ¥5,666
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-17.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.7 ¥9,427
$110 Ft 35.7K
-45.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.5 ¥15.7K
$119 Ft 38.4K
-16.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$537 ¥84.9K
$830 Ft 268.3K
-35.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$352 ¥55.6K
$622 Ft 200.9K
-43.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,199 ¥189.5K
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-24.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$749 ¥118.3K
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-36.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,031 ¥320.8K
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-65.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,030 ¥162.7K
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-73.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nagoya
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,882 ¥297.4K
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
14.00%
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 Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Nagoya
$380
Budapest
$258 32.1% $122
Accommodation & Living
Nagoya
$352
Budapest
$622 76.9% $270
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nagoya
$170
Budapest
$218 28.3% $48
Eating Out
Nagoya
$143
Budapest
$223 56.2% $80
Getting Around
Nagoya
$141
Budapest
$44 68.7% $97
Clothing & Footwear
Nagoya
$110
Budapest
$168 52.3% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Nagoya
$73
Budapest
$86 17.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Nagoya 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 14% higher in Nagoya, 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 Nagoya versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Nagoya vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Nagoya
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
14:47 2:47 PM
07:47 7:47 AM
7 h behind Nagoya
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,236,000
1,686,222 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nagoya Budapest 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nagoya
  • 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
Nagoya vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Nagoya?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,053 per month in Nagoya and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nagoya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 321% less in Nagoya. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $572 per month in Nagoya and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nagoya or in Budapest?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nagoya, where all-in costs run around $1,369, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Nagoya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nagoya or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nagoya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nagoya or Budapest?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nagoya. 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.

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