Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,237 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,237

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,237 per month in Ube vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Ube $1,237
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,931 per month in Ube vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Ube $1,931
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,625 per month in Ube vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Ube $2,625
Budapest $3,429

Ube is about 24% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ube sits 8% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 ¥1,097

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-50.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.14 ¥5,394

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-44.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 ¥873

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-45.83%

Cappuccino

$3.19 ¥504

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-2.15%

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

$1.08 ¥171

$2.14 Ft 690

-49.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$1.78 Ft 577

-57.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥321

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥487

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-18.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.15 Ft 371

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.79 Ft 578

-10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$2.49 Ft 804

89.96%

Eggs

$2.28 ¥361

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-41.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 ¥1,581

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,016

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-2.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 ¥2,462

$14.69 Ft 4,745

6.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 ¥854

$1.83 Ft 591

195.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$2.05 Ft 661

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$2.37 Ft 765

71.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 ¥725

$3.90 Ft 1,260

17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 ¥500

$0.99 Ft 320

220.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 ¥422

$1.00 Ft 322

167.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.58 Ft 511

-12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$0.67 Ft 216

29.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ¥664

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 ¥1,036

$6.22 Ft 2,009

5.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$1.27 Ft 411

57.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥374

$2.03 Ft 654

16.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 ¥263

$1.52 Ft 490

9.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 ¥8,781

$28.02 Ft 9,053

98.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ¥556

$3.31 Ft 1,070

6.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 ¥474

$1.37 Ft 442

118.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.87 ¥3,297

$19.83 Ft 6,406

5.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.82 Ft 589

-35.16%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-23.41%

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

$17.1K ¥2.7M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-49.39%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-16.88%

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

$27.17 ¥4,293

$23.51 Ft 7,596

15.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 ¥5,268

$23.29 Ft 7,526

43.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 ¥9,103

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-14.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.79 ¥2,179

$18.89 Ft 6,104

-27.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 ¥2,076

$9.30 Ft 3,004

41.29%

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

$280 ¥44.2K

$533 Ft 172.3K

-47.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-20.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.41 ¥6,859

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-56.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.01 ¥4,741

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-31.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 ¥9,343

$110 Ft 35.7K

-46.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 ¥14.6K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-22.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ¥74.7K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-43.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.4K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$869 ¥137.3K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-45.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$660 ¥104.3K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-43.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,817 ¥445.1K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-51.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,733 ¥273.7K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-55.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

6.45

-71.94%

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

Last update for Ube: 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

Ube

$326 26.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 91% $296

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$309 25%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 16.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 7.5% $15

Eating Out

Ube

$134 10.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 66.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 65.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 45.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $473 in Ube 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Ube versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $309 in Ube vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

16:24 4:24 PM

7 h behind Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Ube Budapest 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ube
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

Ube vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,856 per month in Ube and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 98% less in Ube. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Ube and $533 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 Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,237, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ube it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ube – 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 Ube. 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.