Cost of living in Japan

Summary of cost of living in Japan

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: ¥491,720
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: ¥256,259
  • WARNING!  These estimates are based on data that may have some inconsistencies at the moment. They already provide a decent estimate but they are not currently bullet-proof.
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district ¥1,019
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) ¥764
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast ¥514
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk ¥215
12 eggs, large ¥319
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes ¥625
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese ¥1,190
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples ¥545
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes ¥410
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket ¥292
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality ¥1,440
2 liters of coca-cola ¥204
Bread for 2 people for 1 day ¥176
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area ¥221,430
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area ¥111,860
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat ¥20,251
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area ¥190,034
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area ¥84,192
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio ¥28,514
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) ¥3,357
40” flat screen tv ¥52,125
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) ¥15,714
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) ¥1,018
Hourly rate for cleaning help ¥1,314
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) ¥8,530
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) ¥4,983
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) ¥9,702
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes ¥11,426
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new ¥2,882,200
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas ¥170
Monthly ticket public transport ¥9,799
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) ¥1,555
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) ¥2,993
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) ¥6,000
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) ¥1,706
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) ¥842
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) ¥600
4 rolls of toilet paper ¥192
Tube of toothpaste ¥203
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city ¥4,236
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub ¥5,211
2 tickets to the movies ¥3,676
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) ¥4,122
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert ¥8,391
1 cocktail drink in downtown club ¥961
Cappuccino in expat area of the city ¥499
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) ¥656
Ipad wi-fi 128gb ¥51,754
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) ¥52
1 month of gym membership in business district ¥8,705
1 package of marlboro cigarettes ¥564

Moving to Japan with your children?

International Schools in Japan

Map of Cost of Living in Japan

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This map shows only the top cities in Japan. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in Japan

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking City Price Index *
1st Tokyo 110
2nd Nagoya 103
3rd Yokohama 103
4th Osaka 99
5th Sagamihara 95
6th Fukuoka 92

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Prices recently added

  • Ipad wi-fi 128gb in Osaka costs ¥50,000 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Osaka costs ¥600 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 1 ticket to the movies in Osaka costs ¥4,000 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 4 rolls of toilet paper in Osaka costs ¥400 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 1 box of 32 of tampons (tampax, ob, ...) in Osaka costs ¥1,000 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 24 tablets box of cold medicine (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) in Osaka costs ¥1,200 (about 16 hours ago)
  • Taxi fare per distance, weekday at noon, per 1 km. in Osaka costs ¥400 (about 16 hours ago)
  • Men’s leather business shoes in Osaka costs ¥10,000 (about 16 hours ago)
  • Sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) in Osaka costs ¥10,000 (about 16 hours ago)
  • 1 kg of rice in Osaka costs ¥800 (about 16 hours ago)

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