Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Japan Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,792 in Italy versus $1,189 in Japan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,735 in Italy versus $1,873 in Japan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,678 in Italy versus $2,557 in Japan.

Living in Italy is roughly 51% more expensive than in Japan on average.

Italy (30% above) and Japan (13% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,168 to $2,645, compared to $757–$1,653 in Japan. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.31 €18.34

$6.12 ¥956

248.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 €70.2

$30.69 ¥4,794

165.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 €10.02

$4.90 ¥765

137.55%

Cappuccino

$2.02 €1.74

$3.20 ¥499

-36.88%

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

$3.15 €2.71

$1.17 ¥182

169.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.25

$0.78 ¥122

85.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €4.90

$3.11 ¥486

82.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 €5.11

$3.66 ¥571

62.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.48 ¥231

14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.13

$1.51 ¥236

64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 €2.55

$4.82 ¥752

-38.38%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.72

$2.09 ¥327

106.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.42 €14.99

$11.74 ¥1,835

48.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.01

$6.40 ¥1,000

99.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.28 €18.31

$17.67 ¥2,761

20.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.27

$4.76 ¥743

-44.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.90

$2.37 ¥371

-6.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.40

$4.28 ¥669

-34.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.90

$4.36 ¥680

-22.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$2.73 ¥427

-23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.69

$2.62 ¥409

-24.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.38

$1.25 ¥196

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.49

$0.90 ¥140

-36.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.13

$3.96 ¥619

80.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.53

$8.50 ¥1,328

-10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.59

$1.97 ¥308

-6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.15

$2.56 ¥400

-2.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.72

$1.40 ¥219

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.09 €38.80

$55.3 ¥8,643

-18.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €4.99

$3.54 ¥553

63.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 €1.54

$3.11 ¥486

-42.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.95 €30.07

$19.69 ¥3,075

77.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.83

$1.09 ¥171

95.41%

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

$37.4K €32.1K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

71.62%

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

$36.3K €31.3K

$16.2K ¥2.5M

124.43%

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

$239 €205

$158 ¥24.6K

51.37%

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

$12.14 €10.45

$24.79 ¥3,873

-51.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.42 €27.04

$32.46 ¥5,071

-3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 €47.26

$52.8 ¥8,253

3.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.84 €21.38

$17.71 ¥2,767

40.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 €9.40

$12.61 ¥1,970

-13.40%

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

$568 €488

$562 ¥87.7K

1.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.5K

$11.6K ¥1.8M

5.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 €80.6

$45.40 ¥7,092

106.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.71 €35.03

$28.46 ¥4,447

43.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €90.3

$60.6 ¥9,467

73.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €120

$77.8 ¥12.2K

78.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 €738

$573 ¥89.5K

49.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €565

$379 ¥59.2K

73.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 €1,270

$1,338 ¥209.0K

10.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €940

$752 ¥117.5K

45.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,786 €3,257

$5,535 ¥864.8K

-31.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 €2,007

$2,846 ¥444.6K

-18.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,928 €1,659

$2,055 ¥321.0K

-6.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

2.05

74.15%

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

Last update for Italy: August 31, 2026

Last update for Japan: September 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $758 in Italy, $490 in Japan. Capital cities: $1,244 in Rome vs $1,230 in Tokyo.

National salary averages: $1,967 in Italy, $1,876 in Japan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 130% more in Italy.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Japan.

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 $1,907 per month in Italy and $1,205 in Japan, there's a 58% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Japan: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Japan across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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.