Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

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.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Italy

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

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

Japan $1,297
Italy $1,825

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

Japan $1,998
Italy $2,790

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

Japan $2,699
Italy $3,756

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 Japan costs about 29% less than in Italy on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$19.90 €17.70

-67.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$77.1 €68.6

-58.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$11.41 €10.15

-54.69%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.01 €1.78

52.74%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$3.13 €2.78

-62.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.40 €1.24

-43.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$5.76 €5.12

-43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$5.73 €5.10

-35.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.62 €1.44

-8.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$2.38 €2.12

-39.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$2.92 €2.60

63.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$4.17 €3.70

-49.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$17.28 €15.37

-33.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$12.73 €11.32

-52.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$20.39 €18.13

-15.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$2.61 €2.32

83.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$2.12 €1.88

13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.63 €2.34

56.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$3.34 €2.97

31.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$2.02 €1.79

35.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.89 €1.69

36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.56 €1.39

-19.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.55 €0.49

49.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$6.84 €6.08

-41.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$7.64 €6.80

-3.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.80 €1.61

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.40 €2.14

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$1.86 €1.65

-24.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$43.27 €38.49

34.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$5.64 €5.01

-34.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.71 €1.52

87.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$33.04 €29.39

-40.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$2.11 €1.87

-49.76%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$35.8K €31.8K

-39.40%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$37.4K €33.3K

-57.79%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$230 €204

-34.27%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$11.60 €10.32

110.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$30.40 €27.04

7.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$53.9 €47.96

-3.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$24.24 €21.56

-24.22%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$10.58 €9.41

17.11%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$545 €485

-2.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$11.5K €10.3K

1.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$88.4 €78.7

-47.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$39.60 €35.22

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$101 €89.8

-38.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$133 €118

-42.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$799 €711

-29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$624 €555

-37.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$1,423 €1,266

-7.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$1,030 €916

-26.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$3,601 €3,203

50.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$2,270 €2,019

20.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$1,893 €1,684

9.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

3.56

-40.17%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Italy

$624 34.2% 60.6% $236

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Italy

$350 19.2% 13.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Italy

$272 14.9% 30.6% $64

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Italy

$276 15.1% 105% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Italy

$163 8.9% 68.9% $66

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Italy

$65 3.6% 22.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Italy

$75 4.1% 2.3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $1,926 in Japan, $1,892 in Italy. 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

🇯🇵 Japan

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

01:11 1:11 AM

7 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Italy 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Italy

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 Italy: 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.