Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Budapest

For one person, living costs are similar in Tokyo and in Budapest: $1,635 and $1,621 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Tokyo vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Tokyo $1,635
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Tokyo vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Tokyo $2,608
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $3,581 per month in Tokyo vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Tokyo $3,581
Budapest $3,489

Tokyo costs about 1% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tokyo and Budapest sit above the global median – Tokyo by 22%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,208

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-45.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,094

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥800

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-49.30%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥571

$3.38 Ft 1,100

6.80%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$2.13 Ft 692

-23.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$1.87 Ft 608

-54.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥584

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥835

$3.57 Ft 1,162

47.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥243

$1.13 Ft 368

35.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.84 Ft 599

-4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥884

$2.39 Ft 777

133.89%

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-41.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,686

$11.33 Ft 3,686

-6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,045

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,649

$14.69 Ft 4,780

13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥769

$1.84 Ft 597

164.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$2.01 Ft 653

16.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥685

$2.36 Ft 767

83.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥836

$3.77 Ft 1,226

40.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥540

$0.96 Ft 313

255.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥505

$1.03 Ft 334

209.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.56 Ft 509

-24.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$0.66 Ft 216

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-51.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,467

$6.01 Ft 1,954

54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.30 Ft 421

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$2.08 Ft 676

32.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥205

$1.50 Ft 489

-14.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,830

$27.61 Ft 8,982

124.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥488

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥508

$1.30 Ft 424

146.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,913

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-6.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.81 Ft 591

-40.88%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-24.41%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-55.17%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-13.15%

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

$21.97 ¥3,476

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-8.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,815

$23.42 Ft 7,621

29.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,044

$19.18 Ft 6,239

33.21%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,037

$9.52 Ft 3,098

35.19%

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

$1,360 ¥215.2K

$537 Ft 174.6K

153.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

10.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,943

$101 Ft 33.0K

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,248

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-22.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$113 Ft 36.7K

-42.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$119 Ft 38.6K

-39.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.8K

$805 Ft 262.0K

58.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.1K

$629 Ft 204.7K

11.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥406.0K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

65.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.3K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

26.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

62.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥663.2K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

5.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥474.4K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

84.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

6.43

-65.01%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 10.4% $73

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 20.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 8.7% $17

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 41.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 66.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 6.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 49.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,275 in Tokyo 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 84% higher in Tokyo, 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 $39.00 in Tokyo versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Tokyo vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

7 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 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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Tokyo Budapest 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Tokyo vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tokyo is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,453 per month in Tokyo 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 Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 125% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,360 per month in Tokyo and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Tokyo at $1,635. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.