Cost of living in Japan
We track 305 everyday prices in Japan, quoted in JPY across 20 cities. Each item shows a low, typical and high figure so you can tell a fair price from an overcharge instead of guessing from a single average.
Dining prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inexpensive restaurant meal (per person) | ¥600 | ¥800 | ¥1,200 |
| Mid-range restaurant for 2 (per meal) | ¥4,000 | ¥6,000 | ¥8,000 |
| Cappuccino (per cup) | ¥400 | ¥500 | ¥650 |
| Inexpensive restaurant meal (per person) | ¥700 | ¥900 | ¥1,200 |
| Mid-range restaurant for 2 (per meal) | ¥5,000 | ¥7,000 | ¥10,000 |
| Cappuccino (per cup) | ¥400 | ¥500 | ¥650 |
Transport prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local transit one-way (per ride) | ¥210 | ¥230 | ¥260 |
| Taxi 5 km (per trip) | ¥1,500 | ¥1,800 | ¥2,200 |
| Gasoline (1 L) (per litre) | ¥170 | ¥180 | ¥190 |
| Local transit one-way (per ride) | ¥210 | ¥210 | ¥230 |
| Taxi 5 km (per trip) | ¥1,800 | ¥2,000 | ¥2,500 |
| Gasoline (1 L) (per litre) | ¥170 | ¥180 | ¥195 |
Utilities prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities (85m² apt monthly) (per month) | ¥10,000 | ¥15,000 | ¥20,000 |
| Internet 60Mbps unlimited (per month) | ¥3,500 | ¥4,500 | ¥6,000 |
| Utilities (85m² apt monthly) (per month) | ¥10,000 | ¥15,000 | ¥20,000 |
| Internet 60Mbps unlimited (per month) | ¥4,000 | ¥5,000 | ¥7,000 |
Rent prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bed apt in city centre (per month) | ¥60,000 | ¥80,000 | ¥120,000 |
| 1-bed apt outside centre (per month) | ¥45,000 | ¥60,000 | ¥80,000 |
| 1-bed apt in city centre (per month) | ¥90,000 | ¥120,000 | ¥180,000 |
| 1-bed apt outside centre (per month) | ¥60,000 | ¥80,000 | ¥110,000 |
Macro prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eurostat Comparative Price Level (EU27=100) (index) | ¥89 | ¥89 | ¥89 |
| OECD Price Level Index (GDP, OECD=100) (index) | ¥106 | ¥106 | ¥106 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 |
| Eurostat Comparative Price Level (EU27=100) (index) | ¥89 | ¥89 | ¥89 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 | ¥19,534 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 | ¥52,039 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | ¥95 | ¥95 | ¥95 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | ¥114 | ¥114 | ¥114 |
Groceries prices in Japan
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk (1 L) (per litre) | ¥180 | ¥230 | ¥300 |
| Bread loaf (500g) (per loaf) | ¥200 | ¥250 | ¥350 |
| Eggs (12) (dozen) | ¥250 | ¥300 | ¥400 |
| Chicken breast (1 kg) (per kg) | ¥500 | ¥700 | ¥900 |
| Rice (1 kg) (per kg) | ¥400 | ¥500 | ¥700 |
| Milk (1 L) (per litre) | ¥200 | ¥250 | ¥300 |
| Bread loaf (500g) (per loaf) | ¥220 | ¥280 | ¥350 |
| Eggs (12) (dozen) | ¥250 | ¥300 | ¥380 |
| Chicken breast (1 kg) (per kg) | ¥600 | ¥700 | ¥850 |
| Rice (1 kg) (per kg) | ¥400 | ¥500 | ¥650 |
How to use these numbers
Treat the typical column as the local going rate, not a promise. Anything at or below the low column is a good deal in Japan; anything above the high column deserves a second quote or a look at the line items. Tourist districts, airport locations and same-day service routinely price 20–40% above these figures, which is where most overcharges hide.
If you already have a bill, quote or invoice from Japan, run it through our free bill analyzer — it reads each line and flags the items that sit outside the local range. You can also check a single price or compare two cities side by side.
Where this data comes from
Figures are compiled from published rate cards, official statistics, retailer and utility pricing, and crowd-reported receipts, then reconciled into a low / typical / high band per item. We show a band rather than one number because scope, brand and neighbourhood move real prices more than the city average does. Nothing on this page is invented by a language model, and each figure is refreshed as new data lands.
Cities in Japan
- Cost of living in Tokyo
- Cost of living in Yokohama
- Cost of living in Osaka
- Cost of living in Nagoya
- Cost of living in Sapporo
- Cost of living in Fukuoka
- Cost of living in Kobe
- Cost of living in Kawasaki
- Cost of living in Kyoto
- Cost of living in Saitama
- Cost of living in Hiroshima
- Cost of living in Sendai
- Cost of living in Chiba
- Cost of living in Kitakyushu
- Cost of living in Sakai
- Cost of living in Niigata
- Cost of living in Hamamatsu
- Cost of living in Kumamoto
- Cost of living in Okayama
- Cost of living in Shizuoka
How FairPriceGuru works
FairPriceGuru is a free consumer price-fairness service. We benchmark what things actually cost, then let you check your own bill, quote or invoice against those benchmarks. Every price we quote is tied to a named source, we do not accept payment to change a verdict, and none of our tools require an account.
Start with the free tools hub, run a document through the bill analyzer, or read our methodology.