Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,663 in Tokyo.

Ichikawa $1,167
Tokyo $1,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $2,592 in Tokyo.

Ichikawa $1,876
Tokyo $2,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $3,521 in Tokyo.

Ichikawa $2,585
Tokyo $3,521

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 30% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichikawa is 14% below, Tokyo is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$7.47 ¥1,180

-31.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$37.48 ¥5,921

-17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$4.90 ¥774

-12.24%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$3.62 ¥571

-38.40%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$1.66 ¥262

-56.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$0.84 ¥133

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$3.69 ¥582

-32.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$5.24 ¥829

-39.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.49 ¥236

-7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$1.75 ¥276

-5.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$5.63 ¥889

-34.99%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$2.20 ¥348

-10.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$11.19 ¥1,767

-5.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$6.84 ¥1,081

-14.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$16.61 ¥2,624

-13.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$4.80 ¥759

15.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.24 ¥354

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$4.22 ¥666

-33.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$5.20 ¥821

-18.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$3.29 ¥520

-20.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$3.05 ¥481

-16.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.19 ¥188

7.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.81 ¥129

-7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.92 ¥619

-4.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$9.65 ¥1,524

-33.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$1.63 ¥258

9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.70 ¥426

-25.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.25 ¥197

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$63.9 ¥10.1K

-6.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$3.21 ¥507

-14.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$18.55 ¥2,931

11.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-1.58%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

22.20%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$149 ¥23.5K

-11.22%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$21.59 ¥3,412

11.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$30.62 ¥4,837

4.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$66.7 ¥10.5K

-29.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$12.68 ¥2,004

0.95%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$1,350 ¥213.3K

-52.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-18.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$56.0 ¥8,853

10.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$33.14 ¥5,236

12.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$64.3 ¥10.2K

-5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$70.2 ¥11.1K

45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,253 ¥197.9K

-60.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$700 ¥110.6K

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$2,502 ¥395.3K

-52.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$1,430 ¥225.9K

-46.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$9,428 ¥1.5M

-52.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$4,236 ¥669.3K

-55.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

2.25

17.33%

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

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Tokyo

$700 42.1% 121% $383

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Tokyo

$325 19.5% 13.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Tokyo

$201 12.1% 6.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Tokyo

$101 6.1% 14.5% $17

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Tokyo

$157 9.4% 51% $53

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Tokyo

$88 5.3% 7.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Tokyo

$92 5.5% 26.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $37.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $325 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ichikawa vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichikawa and Tokyo differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,663 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa and $2,495 in Tokyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $495 in Ichikawa versus $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $37.00 in Tokyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.