Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,399 per month in Okinawa vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Okinawa $1,399
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,189 per month in Okinawa vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Okinawa $2,189
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Okinawa vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Okinawa $2,979
Budapest $3,489

Okinawa is about 14% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Okinawa and Budapest sit above the global median – Okinawa by 4%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,602

$13.99 Ft 4,555

-27.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,288

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-34.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$9.96 Ft 3,244

-29.32%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥674

$3.38 Ft 1,102

26.04%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$2.13 Ft 693

-30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.87 Ft 609

-46.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.75 Ft 1,222

-46.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥719

$3.57 Ft 1,163

27.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥258

$1.13 Ft 369

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥340

$1.84 Ft 600

16.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$2.39 Ft 777

60.67%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-54.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,835

$11.33 Ft 3,689

58.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥770

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-27.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,503

$14.69 Ft 4,784

50.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$1.84 Ft 598

96.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.01 Ft 654

30.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$2.36 Ft 767

-9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥819

$3.77 Ft 1,227

37.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$0.96 Ft 314

151.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.03 Ft 335

150.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.56 Ft 509

-16.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.66 Ft 216

12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-49.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,015

$6.01 Ft 1,956

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.30 Ft 422

43.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥504

$2.08 Ft 677

53.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.50 Ft 490

-2.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$27.61 Ft 8,991

143.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥627

$3.30 Ft 1,075

20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥563

$1.30 Ft 424

173.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,808

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-42.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.81 Ft 591

-39.78%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-27.54%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-54.83%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-4.71%

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

$24.91 ¥3,938

$23.98 Ft 7,809

3.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,503

$23.42 Ft 7,628

129.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

7.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,679

$19.18 Ft 6,245

186.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,924

$9.52 Ft 3,101

27.84%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$537 Ft 174.8K

-38.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥875.3K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-66.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,913

$101 Ft 33.0K

-50.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,681

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-45.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$113 Ft 36.7K

-30.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$119 Ft 38.7K

-20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-49.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-47.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.5K

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-46.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.8K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-43.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

52.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.6K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-69.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

13.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

6.43

-65.32%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 21.5% $71

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 91.7% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 9.7% $23

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 23% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 52.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 10.9% $10

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 54.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Okinawa versus $805 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 Okinawa, 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 $40.00 in Okinawa versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Okinawa vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

7 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Okinawa Budapest 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
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

Okinawa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Okinawa and $2,432 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Okinawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Okinawa and $537 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 Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Okinawa – 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 Okinawa. 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.