Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,663 a month against $2,327 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheltenham and in Tokyo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cheltenham and in Tokyo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $1,663 in Tokyo.

Cheltenham $2,327
Tokyo $1,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $2,592 in Tokyo.

Cheltenham $3,528
Tokyo $2,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $3,521 in Tokyo.

Cheltenham $4,729
Tokyo $3,521

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 40% more expensive than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheltenham 72% above, Tokyo 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.75

$7.47 ¥1,180

216.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$37.48 ¥5,921

181.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.28

$4.90 ¥774

125.10%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$3.62 ¥571

35.08%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$1.66 ¥262

54.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.84 ¥133

107.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.82

$3.69 ¥582

110.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$5.24 ¥829

24.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.49 ¥236

16.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.75 ¥276

-2.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$5.63 ¥889

-64.65%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$2.20 ¥348

101.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.15

$11.19 ¥1,767

-26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 £7.19

$6.84 ¥1,081

40.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.82

$16.61 ¥2,624

-21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$4.80 ¥759

-35.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.24 ¥354

-36.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$4.22 ¥666

-54.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$5.20 ¥821

-32.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$3.29 ¥520

-53.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$3.05 ¥481

-50.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.19 ¥188

1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.81 ¥129

75.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 £17.35

$3.92 ¥619

489.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$9.65 ¥1,524

10.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.63 ¥258

75.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$2.70 ¥426

8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 £2.58

$1.25 ¥197

175.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £69.4

$63.9 ¥10.1K

44.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 £2.65

$3.13 ¥494

12.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$3.21 ¥507

-48.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 £20.14

$18.55 ¥2,931

44.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.05 ¥166

78.10%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

72.10%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

171.61%

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

$341 £256

$149 ¥23.5K

129.42%

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

$17.10 £12.83

$21.59 ¥3,412

-20.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 £38.24

$30.62 ¥4,837

66.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 £33.22

$66.7 ¥10.5K

-33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.01 £29.27

$25.58 ¥4,042

52.50%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.50

$12.68 ¥2,004

10.41%

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

$2,020 £1,516

$1,350 ¥213.3K

49.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

40.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 £73.7

$56.0 ¥8,853

75.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.18

$33.14 ¥5,236

45.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$64.3 ¥10.2K

64.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$70.2 ¥11.1K

38.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £871

$1,253 ¥197.9K

-7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$700 ¥110.6K

32.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 £1,613

$2,502 ¥395.3K

-14.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 £1,213

$1,430 ¥225.9K

13.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,279

$9,428 ¥1.5M

-39.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,676 £4,258

$4,236 ¥669.3K

33.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,753 £3,566

$2,998 ¥473.7K

58.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.25

146.22%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$929 39.9%

Tokyo

$700 42.1% 24.6% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 17.6%

Tokyo

$201 12.1% 50.9% $208

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$350 15.1%

Tokyo

$157 9.4% 55.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$292 12.6%

Tokyo

$325 19.5% 11.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$157 6.8%

Tokyo

$101 6.1% 36% $57

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$118 5.1%

Tokyo

$88 5.3% 25.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$72 3.1%

Tokyo

$92 5.5% 27.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $105 in Cheltenham vs $37.00 in Tokyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $325, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

8 h ahead of Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

Cheltenham Tokyo 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheltenham
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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

Cheltenham vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Cheltenham, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,161 in Cheltenham versus $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $105 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $1,663 in Tokyo – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,663 in Tokyo versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tokyo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham and Tokyo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.