Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gdansk and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,103 a month against $1,792 in Gdansk, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Gdansk
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Gdansk Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index

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Gdansk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,792

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gdansk and in Tsukuba

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

A single person spends $1,792 per month in Gdansk vs $1,103 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Gdansk $1,792
Tsukuba $1,103

A couple spends around $2,523 per month in Gdansk vs $1,755 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Gdansk $2,523
Tsukuba $1,755

A family of three spends $3,253 per month in Gdansk vs $2,407 in Tsukuba, rent included.

Gdansk $3,253
Tsukuba $2,407

Gdansk costs about 63% more than Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gdansk sits 32% above the global median, while Tsukuba is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 zł 45.04

$6.47 ¥1,023

79.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 zł 225

$32.71 ¥5,168

77.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 zł 34.56

$4.92 ¥777

80.89%

Cappuccino

$4.05 zł 15.73

$2.70 ¥427

50.00%

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

$2.36 zł 9.19

$0.99 ¥157

138.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 zł 6.70

$0.79 ¥124

118.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 zł 14.78

$2.18 ¥345

74.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 zł 14.53

$3.17 ¥500

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 zł 3.90

$1.40 ¥221

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 zł 5.28

$1.71 ¥269

-20.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 zł 6.63

$3.07 ¥484

-44.30%

Eggs

$3.75 zł 14.55

$2.08 ¥328

80.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 zł 33.51

$10.43 ¥1,647

-17.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 zł 25.32

$5.93 ¥936

9.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 zł 52.4

$14.41 ¥2,277

-6.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 zł 5.10

$5.55 ¥877

-76.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 zł 7.06

$2.81 ¥444

-35.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 zł 7.93

$2.92 ¥461

-30.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 zł 12.58

$4.07 ¥643

-20.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 zł 3.28

$2.50 ¥396

-66.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.11

$2.62 ¥413

-59.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 zł 5.16

$0.79 ¥125

68.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 zł 2.77

$0.82 ¥129

-13.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 zł 23.04

$3.70 ¥584

60.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 zł 26.10

$6.24 ¥986

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 zł 4.64

$1.74 ¥275

-31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 zł 7.23

$2.03 ¥321

-8.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 zł 4.84

$1.45 ¥229

-14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 zł 118

$52.4 ¥8,284

-42.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 zł 7.82

$3.22 ¥509

-37.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 zł 3.83

$2.72 ¥430

-63.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.64 zł 49.10

$20.84 ¥3,292

-39.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 zł 6.32

$1.06 ¥167

53.77%

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

$30.4K zł 118.1K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

42.54%

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

$28.7K zł 111.4K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

60.43%

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

$298 zł 1,157

$132 ¥20.9K

125.64%

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

$11.76 zł 45.68

$24.06 ¥3,801

-51.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.24 zł 78.7

$32.01 ¥5,057

-36.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 zł 174

$54.4 ¥8,596

-17.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.35 zł 114

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 zł 29.16

$12.48 ¥1,972

-39.82%

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

$539 zł 2,094

$95.9 ¥15.1K

462.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,185 zł 31.8K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-44.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 zł 342

$48.00 ¥7,584

83.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.23 zł 187

$37.46 ¥5,918

28.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 zł 359

$38.06 ¥6,014

142.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 zł 408

$41.32 ¥6,528

154.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 zł 3,847

$458 ¥72.4K

116.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 zł 2,997

$279 ¥44.1K

176.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 zł 6,334

$1,086 ¥171.6K

50.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 zł 4,253

$638 ¥100.8K

71.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,506 zł 21.4K

$4,177 ¥659.9K

31.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,023 zł 11.7K

$1,755 ¥277.2K

72.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 zł 7,509

$1,420 ¥224.3K

36.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

233.50%

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

Last update for Gdansk: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gdansk

$771 43%

Tsukuba

$279 25.3% 63.8% $492

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gdansk

$330 18.4%

Tsukuba

$188 17.1% 43% $142

Groceries & Markets

Gdansk

$228 12.7%

Tsukuba

$283 25.7% 24.4% $56

Eating Out

Gdansk

$211 11.8%

Tsukuba

$123 11.2% 41.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Gdansk

$150 8.4%

Tsukuba

$74 6.7% 50.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Gdansk

$60 3.3%

Tsukuba

$79 7.2% 32.5% $19

Getting Around

Gdansk

$42 2.4%

Tsukuba

$75 6.8% 77.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Gdansk versus $458 in Tsukuba. 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 36% higher in Gdansk, 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 $58.0 in Gdansk versus $33.00 in Tsukuba. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Gdansk vs $283 in Tsukuba – so Gdansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Gdansk

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

23:17 11:17 PM

7 h ahead of Gdansk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

470,633

230,398

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gdansk Tsukuba 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gdansk
Tsukuba

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

Gdansk vs Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,792 in Gdansk, $1,103 in Tsukuba – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,688 per month in Gdansk and $1,654 in Tsukuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $539 per month in Gdansk and $95.9 in Tsukuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Gdansk – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tsukuba, where all-in costs run around $1,103, than in Gdansk at $1,792. In Tsukuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gdansk it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Gdansk has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,103 in Tsukuba to $1,792 in Gdansk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Tsukuba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gdansk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.