Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,198 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Narita
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,198
/mo nomad
Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,619
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Narita vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Narita $1,198
  • Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,862 per month in Narita vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Narita $1,862
  • Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,527 per month in Narita vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

  • Narita $2,527
  • Budapest $3,429

Narita is about 26% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Narita sits 11% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.72 ¥904
$13.94 Ft 4,503
-58.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.53 ¥6,403
$61.2 Ft 19.8K
-33.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.32 ¥682
$10.19 Ft 3,291
-57.61%
Cappuccino
$3.08 ¥486
$3.26 Ft 1,055
-5.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$2.14 Ft 690
-65.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 ¥126
$1.78 Ft 577
-55.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.09 ¥330
$3.71 Ft 1,198
-43.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 ¥489
$3.77 Ft 1,217
-17.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 ¥203
$1.15 Ft 371
12.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 ¥275
$1.79 Ft 578
-2.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 ¥567
$2.49 Ft 804
44.18%
Eggs
$2.01 ¥317
$3.90 Ft 1,261
-48.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.31 ¥1,628
$11.10 Ft 3,587
-7.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.88 ¥929
$6.62 Ft 2,139
-11.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.64 ¥2,312
$14.69 Ft 4,745
-0.34%
Apples (1kg)
$5.75 ¥909
$1.83 Ft 591
214.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 ¥423
$2.05 Ft 661
30.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 ¥455
$2.37 Ft 765
21.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.26 ¥673
$3.90 Ft 1,260
9.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.52 ¥398
$0.99 Ft 320
154.55%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 ¥399
$1.00 Ft 322
153.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ¥203
$1.58 Ft 511
-18.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥125
$0.67 Ft 216
17.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.83 ¥606
$7.96 Ft 2,572
-51.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.12 ¥968
$6.22 Ft 2,009
-1.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ¥275
$1.27 Ft 411
37.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥328
$2.03 Ft 654
2.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Narita
Budapest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ¥229
$1.52 Ft 490
-4.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.9 ¥9,458
$28.02 Ft 9,053
113.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ¥500
$3.31 Ft 1,070
-4.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 ¥257
$1.37 Ft 442
18.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.39 ¥3,221
$19.83 Ft 6,406
2.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 ¥165
$1.82 Ft 589
-42.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ¥3.4M
$29.8K Ft 9.6M
-28.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.6K ¥2.9M
$33.8K Ft 10.9M
-45.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 ¥21.1K
$171 Ft 55.3K
-21.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.48 ¥3,867
$23.51 Ft 7,596
4.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.93 ¥4,413
$23.29 Ft 7,526
19.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ¥8,250
$67.5 Ft 21.8K
-22.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.89 Ft 6,104
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.31 ¥1,786
$9.30 Ft 3,004
21.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$631 ¥99.7K
$533 Ft 172.3K
18.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.9K ¥2.4M
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
-10.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ¥10.0K
$99.6 Ft 32.2K
-36.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.27 ¥5,888
$43.49 Ft 14.0K
-14.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.1 ¥9,657
$110 Ft 35.7K
-44.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ¥15.9K
$119 Ft 38.4K
-15.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Narita
Budapest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$541 ¥85.5K
$830 Ft 268.3K
-34.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$336 ¥53.1K
$622 Ft 200.9K
-45.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$996 ¥157.3K
$1,594 Ft 514.9K
-37.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ¥100.0K
$1,170 Ft 378.1K
-45.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,458 ¥704.3K
$5,832 Ft 1.9M
-23.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,527 ¥241.3K
$3,889 Ft 1.3M
-60.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Narita
Budapest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,280 ¥202.2K
$1,651 Ft 533.4K
-22.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.64
6.45
-59.07%

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

Last update for Narita: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Narita
$336
Budapest
$622 85% $286
Groceries & Markets
Narita
$287
Budapest
$258 10.1% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Narita
$186
Budapest
$218 17% $32
Eating Out
Narita
$118
Budapest
$223 88.3% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Narita
$118
Budapest
$168 42% $50
Getting Around
Narita
$77
Budapest
$44 42.5% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Narita
$75
Budapest
$86 15.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Narita 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 29% 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 Narita versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Narita vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Narita
🇭🇺 Budapest
🕒 Local time
05:13 5:13 AM
22:13 10:13 PM
7 h behind Narita
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
131,613
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
  • Narita Budapest 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Narita
  • 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
Narita vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Budapest cheaper than Narita?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,796 per month in Narita 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 Narita, 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 114% less in Narita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $631 per month in Narita 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 Narita or in Budapest?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Narita, where all-in costs run around $1,198, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Narita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Narita or Budapest more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Narita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Narita 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 Narita. 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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