Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $909 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
Learn more

Brazil Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Brazil

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

A single person spends $1,297 per month in Japan vs $909 in Brazil, rent included.

Japan $1,297
Brazil $909

A couple spends around $1,998 per month in Japan vs $1,446 in Brazil, rent included.

Japan $1,998
Brazil $1,446

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Japan vs $1,983 in Brazil, rent included.

Japan $2,699
Brazil $1,983

Cost ranges are similar: Japan spans $724–$1,648, Brazil $608–$1,432. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Japan is about 43% higher than in Brazil on average.

Both Japan and Brazil are more affordable than the global median – Japan 4% lower, Brazil 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$7.15 R$36.23

-10.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$33.99 R$172

-5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$8.03 R$40.72

-35.62%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.11 R$10.69

45.50%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$1.28 R$6.47

-9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.73 R$3.71

8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.03 R$10.30

59.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$3.02 R$15.30

22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.08 R$5.49

37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.70 R$8.60

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$1.25 R$6.36

281.60%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$2.25 R$11.42

-7.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$9.68 R$49.06

19.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$4.26 R$21.60

42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$8.22 R$41.69

109.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$2.32 R$11.76

106.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$1.36 R$6.89

77.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$1.28 R$6.49

221.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$1.55 R$7.86

183.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.18 R$5.98

132.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.13 R$5.73

128.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$0.81 R$4.13

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.77 R$3.88

6.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$2.45 R$12.40

62.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$7.83 R$39.69

-6.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.34 R$6.79

43.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.34 R$11.88

10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$0.98 R$4.99

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$48.03 R$243

21.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$1.26 R$6.40

192.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.03 R$5.21

211.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$7.89 R$40.00

151.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.25 R$6.35

-15.20%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$23.1K R$117.3K

-6.36%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$32.7K R$165.8K

-51.74%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$82.9 R$420

82.13%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$12.87 R$65.3

89.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$21.04 R$107

54.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$25.13 R$127

107.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$26.63 R$135

-31.02%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$7.60 R$38.51

63.03%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$340 R$1,724

55.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$9,119 R$46.2K

28.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$53.7 R$272

-14.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$48.57 R$246

-39.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$90.3 R$458

-31.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$71.6 R$363

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$391 R$1,980

44.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$249 R$1,260

56.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$725 R$3,677

82.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$486 R$2,462

56.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$1,896 R$9,612

185.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$1,302 R$6,602

110.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$538 R$2,727

284.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

11.19

-80.97%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Brazil

$249 27.4% 36.1% $140

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Brazil

$195 21.4% 36.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Brazil

$117 12.9% 43.8% $91

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Brazil

$131 14.4% 3% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Brazil

$119 13.1% 23.2% $22

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Brazil

$58 6.4% 30.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Brazil

$40 4.4% 47.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $522 in Japan vs $349 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,288 in Tokyo and $494 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $1,926 in Japan vs $499 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in Japan.

Public transport is 24% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 286% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

12 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

203,062,512

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Brazil 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Brazil

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

Japan vs Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 43% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Japan: a central one-bedroom averages $522 versus $349 in Brazil.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Brazil, adding to the overall 43% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brazil, but in Japan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.