Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nara and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Nara vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Nara $1,215
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Nara vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Nara $1,828
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,442 per month in Nara vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Nara $2,442
Budapest $3,429

Nara is about 25% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nara sits 10% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 ¥1,011

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-54.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,049

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-47.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥805

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-49.95%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-23.93%

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

$1.30 ¥206

$2.14 Ft 690

-39.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$1.78 Ft 577

-57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ¥489

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-16.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-18.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.15 Ft 371

30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.79 Ft 578

-25.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$2.49 Ft 804

62.65%

Eggs

$2.13 ¥336

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-45.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-13.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 ¥1,108

$6.62 Ft 2,139

5.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.82 ¥2,815

$14.69 Ft 4,745

21.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$1.83 Ft 591

86.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 ¥315

$2.05 Ft 661

-2.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 ¥317

$2.37 Ft 765

-15.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$3.90 Ft 1,260

2.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.99 Ft 320

58.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ¥184

$1.00 Ft 322

16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.58 Ft 511

-29.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.67 Ft 216

20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-52.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.49 ¥1,500

$6.22 Ft 2,009

52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

$1.27 Ft 411

51.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$2.03 Ft 654

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.52 Ft 490

1.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 ¥11.4K

$28.02 Ft 9,053

156.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 ¥447

$1.37 Ft 442

106.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.70 ¥2,480

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-20.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.82 Ft 589

-39.01%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-26.57%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-55.96%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-32.57%

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

$24.28 ¥3,836

$23.51 Ft 7,596

3.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ¥4,840

$23.29 Ft 7,526

31.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.2 ¥13.0K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

21.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.44 ¥1,176

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-60.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 ¥1,872

$9.30 Ft 3,004

27.42%

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

$511 ¥80.8K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-4.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-23.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.43 ¥7,652

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-51.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 ¥4,882

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-28.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥9,398

$110 Ft 35.7K

-46.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 ¥14.0K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-25.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.8K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-51.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.7K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ¥128.0K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-49.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥86.0K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-53.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 ¥421.6K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-54.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,959 ¥309.5K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-49.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-32.80%

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 Nara: October 13, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nara

$333 27.4%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 86.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Nara

$282 23.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 8.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nara

$170 14%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 28% $48

Eating Out

Nara

$126 10.4%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 76.9% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Nara

$106 8.7%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 18.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nara

$102 8.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 63.7% $65

Getting Around

Nara

$96 7.9%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 53.7% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Nara 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 49% 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 $32.00 in Nara versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $282 in Nara vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nara

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

02:16 2:16 AM

7 h behind Nara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

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

Nara Budapest 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nara
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

Nara vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Nara 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 Nara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 157% less in Nara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $511 per month in Nara and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nara, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Nara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nara – 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 Nara. 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.