Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,396 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Osaka vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Osaka $1,396
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Osaka vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Osaka $2,027
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Osaka vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Osaka $2,658
Budapest $3,467

Osaka is about 15% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Osaka and Budapest sit above the global median – Osaka by 3%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$13.81 Ft 4,548

-52.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,044

$61.5 Ft 20.2K

-48.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥814

$10.16 Ft 3,345

-49.31%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.22 Ft 1,061

-5.90%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$2.06 Ft 679

-32.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$1.83 Ft 604

-61.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.60 Ft 1,187

-23.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.66 Ft 1,207

6.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.19 Ft 392

22.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.87 Ft 616

-30.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$2.37 Ft 779

130.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$3.96 Ft 1,304

-48.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,521

$11.16 Ft 3,677

-13.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,493

$6.76 Ft 2,226

39.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,935

$14.35 Ft 4,727

29.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$1.81 Ft 595

87.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.11 Ft 695

-5.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.33 Ft 769

-10.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥655

$3.80 Ft 1,253

8.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$0.99 Ft 327

58.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥186

$0.98 Ft 324

19.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.55 Ft 511

-11.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.70 Ft 229

15.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$7.79 Ft 2,567

-48.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,536

$6.05 Ft 1,993

60.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.28 Ft 421

51.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.04 Ft 671

56.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.55 Ft 511

-12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,181

$27.28 Ft 8,987

20.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.30 Ft 1,086

18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$1.31 Ft 433

148.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,397

$20.26 Ft 6,673

6.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.82 Ft 599

-39.01%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

-22.29%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

-55.11%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$172 Ft 56.7K

-18.11%

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

$24.00 ¥3,792

$23.95 Ft 7,890

0.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,818

$23.31 Ft 7,679

30.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,173

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

-24.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,980

$18.91 Ft 6,229

-0.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,030

$10.18 Ft 3,353

26.23%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$600 Ft 197.8K

18.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-21.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,705

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-50.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,888

$43.25 Ft 14.2K

-28.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$113 Ft 37.2K

-35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$117 Ft 38.6K

-22.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.7K

$836 Ft 275.4K

-12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$640 Ft 210.7K

-19.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.5K

$1,598 Ft 526.5K

5.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.2K

$1,205 Ft 396.9K

-35.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

16.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.9K

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

-19.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.3K

$1,671 Ft 550.6K

41.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

6.45

-65.74%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Budapest

$640 39.1% 24% $124

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 15.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 12.3% $24

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 64.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 53% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 14.9% $12

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 25.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $732 in Osaka versus $836 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 41% higher in Osaka, 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 $32 in Osaka versus $61 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Osaka vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

11:30 11:30 AM

8 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Osaka Budapest 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
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

Osaka vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,094 per month in Osaka and $2,457 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osaka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $732 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $709 per month in Osaka and $600 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,396 in Osaka and $1,638 in Budapest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Osaka costs $1,396 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.