Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Japan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $1,297 in Japan.

Italy $1,825
Japan $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $1,998 in Japan.

Italy $2,790
Japan $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $2,699 in Japan.

Italy $3,756
Japan $2,699

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $724–$1,648 in Japan. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 41% more expensive than in Japan on average.

Italy (35% above) and Japan (4% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$6.39 ¥1,010

211.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$32.17 ¥5,082

139.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$5.17 ¥816

120.70%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$3.07 ¥486

-34.53%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$1.16 ¥183

169.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$0.79 ¥125

77.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$3.24 ¥512

77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.70 ¥585

54.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.48 ¥233

9.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.44 ¥228

65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$4.77 ¥754

-38.78%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$2.09 ¥331

99.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$11.54 ¥1,823

49.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$6.05 ¥956

110.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$17.21 ¥2,718

18.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$4.80 ¥758

-45.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.41 ¥380

-12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$4.11 ¥649

-36.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$4.40 ¥695

-24.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$2.74 ¥433

-26.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.58 ¥408

-26.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.26 ¥199

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.82 ¥130

-32.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.99 ¥630

71.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$7.35 ¥1,161

3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.92 ¥303

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.59 ¥409

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.40 ¥222

32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$58.4 ¥9,225

-25.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.68 ¥582

53.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$3.21 ¥507

-46.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$19.82 ¥3,131

66.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.06 ¥168

99.06%

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

$35.8K €31.8K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

65.03%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

136.90%

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

$230 €204

$151 ¥23.9K

52.13%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$24.37 ¥3,851

-52.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$32.59 ¥5,149

-6.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$52.1 ¥8,228

3.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$18.37 ¥2,903

31.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$12.39 ¥1,957

-14.61%

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

$545 €485

$529 ¥83.7K

2.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

-1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$46.12 ¥7,287

91.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$29.36 ¥4,639

34.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$61.7 ¥9,750

63.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$77.2 ¥12.2K

72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$565 ¥89.3K

41.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$389 ¥61.4K

60.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$1,321 ¥208.8K

7.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$761 ¥120.3K

35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-33.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$2,746 ¥433.8K

-17.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$2,068 ¥326.6K

-8.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

2.13

67.14%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

Japan

$389 30% 37.7% $236

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

Japan

$308 23.7% 12% $42

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

Japan

$135 10.4% 51.1% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

Japan

$208 16% 23.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Japan

$96 7.4% 40.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Japan

$77 5.9% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Japan

$84 6.5% 29% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $522 in Japan. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $1,288 in Tokyo.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $1,926 in Japan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 121% more in Italy.

Public transport is 24% more expensive in Japan.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

7 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Japan 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Japan

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

Italy vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $1,297 in Japan, there's a 41% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy and $522 in Japan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Japan, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Japan wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.