Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in India

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 India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Japan versus $395 in India.

Japan $1,297
India $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,998 in Japan versus $628 in India.

Japan $1,998
India $628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,699 in Japan versus $861 in India.

Japan $2,699
India $861

Internal cost variation is higher in Japan: monthly costs span $724 to $1,648, compared to $229–$828 in India. City choice carries more weight in Japan.

Living in Japan is roughly 228% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Japan 4% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$2.14 ₹203

198.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$10.57 ₹1,004

204.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$3.77 ₹358

37.14%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$1.76 ₹167

74.43%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$0.42 ₹39.67

176.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.14 ₹13.45

464.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.95 ₹186

66.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$3.11 ₹295

18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$0.63 ₹59.6

134.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$0.46 ₹43.45

213.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$0.68 ₹64.3

601.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$0.93 ₹88.4

124.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$4.83 ₹458

138.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$2.91 ₹276

107.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$2.00 ₹190

140.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$0.63 ₹59.6

282.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$0.98 ₹92.8

319.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$0.51 ₹48.04

762.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.36 ₹34.28

661.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$0.39 ₹36.72

561.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$0.43 ₹41.31

193.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.29 ₹27.53

182.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$5.14 ₹488

-22.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$7.33 ₹696

0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.65 ₹157

16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.73 ₹259

-5.13%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$0.25 ₹23.70

460.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$8.49 ₹806

587.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$1.03 ₹97.9

257.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.25 ₹23.69

1184.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$1.61 ₹153

1131.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.07 ₹101

-0.93%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

91.22%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

-21.61%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$37.73 ₹3,583

300.13%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$3.58 ₹340

580.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$6.89 ₹655

373.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$14.63 ₹1,390

255.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$7.25 ₹688

153.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$3.17 ₹301

290.85%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$56.5 ₹5,369

836.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$1,646 ₹156.3K

614.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$22.73 ₹2,158

102.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$24.04 ₹2,283

22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$41.04 ₹3,898

50.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$30.60 ₹2,906

152.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$144 ₹13.6K

293.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$91.5 ₹8,691

324.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$324 ₹30.8K

307.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$214 ₹20.3K

256.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$1,200 ₹114.0K

351.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$619 ₹58.8K

343.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$440 ₹41.8K

370.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

8.92

-76.12%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for India: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

India

$92 23.1% 76.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

India

$102 25.8% 66.9% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

India

$48 12.2% 76.8% $160

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

India

$68 17.1% 49.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

India

$53 13.5% 44.8% $43

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

India

$12 3% 86% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

India

$21 5.3% 72.7% $56

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $522 in Japan, $119 in India. Capital cities: $1,288 in Tokyo vs $271 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $1,926 in Japan, $413 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 339% higher in Japan.

Dining out costs 230% more in Japan.

Public transport is 629% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 366% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

11:13 11:13 AM

3 h 30 min behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Japan India 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $1,297 in Japan, there's a 228% 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 cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $522 in Japan and $119 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Japan 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: India wins on affordability; Japan may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.