Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,161 per month in Sendai vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Sendai $1,161
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Sendai vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Sendai $1,835
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,510 per month in Sendai vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Sendai $2,510
Budapest $3,483

Sendai is about 29% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sendai sits 14% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-55.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-43.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-56.61%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$3.46 Ft 1,117

4.62%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$2.07 Ft 669

-54.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$1.77 Ft 572

-55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-49.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.16 Ft 374

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.85 Ft 598

-22.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$2.40 Ft 776

176.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-4.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$6.87 Ft 2,221

73.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$1.88 Ft 607

88.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.14 Ft 693

2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$2.30 Ft 744

94.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-19.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.02 Ft 329

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$0.99 Ft 320

129.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$1.58 Ft 510

-10.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$0.70 Ft 225

78.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥701

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-44.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

$6.18 Ft 1,997

13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.24 Ft 401

26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.06 Ft 666

26.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.59 Ft 513

-7.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$27.52 Ft 8,893

35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.43 Ft 1,110

52.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-9.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.93 Ft 624

-45.08%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-45.66%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-28.52%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$175 Ft 56.4K

-20.99%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$23.62 Ft 7,631

29.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$23.60 Ft 7,625

47.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-35.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-2.33%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$535 Ft 172.9K

-57.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-77.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-43.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$112 Ft 36.1K

-68.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$119 Ft 38.4K

-55.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$832 Ft 268.8K

-32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$629 Ft 203.3K

-48.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-56.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-40.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-53.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-63.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

-41.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

6.45

-57.67%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 92.4% $302

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Budapest

$262 16% 15% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 9.1% $19

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 75% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 109% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 38.2% $25

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 9.1% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Sendai versus $832 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 72% 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 $35.00 in Sendai versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $308 in Sendai vs $262 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

18:01 6:01 PM

7 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

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 20, 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 20, 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

Sendai Budapest 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

Sendai vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,742 per month in Sendai and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 35% less in Sendai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Sendai and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sendai – 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 Sendai. 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.