Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Pakistan

Name: Pakistan
Address: PK

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $473 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
Learn more

Pakistan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Pakistan

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

A single person spends $1,297 per month in Japan vs $473 in Pakistan, rent included.

Japan $1,297
Pakistan $473

A couple spends around $1,998 per month in Japan vs $720 in Pakistan, rent included.

Japan $1,998
Pakistan $720

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Japan vs $968 in Pakistan, rent included.

Japan $2,699
Pakistan $968

The regional cost range is wider in Japan ($724–$1,648) than in Pakistan ($291–$602), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Japan is about 174% higher than in Pakistan on average.

Both Japan and Pakistan are more affordable than the global median – Japan 4% lower, Pakistan 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$2.10 PKR 583

204.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$13.70 PKR 3,793

134.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$5.56 PKR 1,539

-7.01%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 PKR 591

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 PKR 1,234

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$1.98 PKR 549

55.05%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$0.37 PKR 104

213.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.21 PKR 58.0

276.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$0.88 PKR 243

68.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$0.59 PKR 163

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$1.21 PKR 336

294.21%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$1.22 PKR 337

71.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$5.66 PKR 1,566

103.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$2.82 PKR 779

114.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$5.19 PKR 1,436

231.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$1.21 PKR 334

296.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$0.65 PKR 181

270.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$0.89 PKR 247

361.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$0.59 PKR 164

645.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.31 PKR 84.8

783.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$0.41 PKR 114

529.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$0.35 PKR 95.5

260.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.38 PKR 104

115.79%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.07 PKR 573

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 PKR 309

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 PKR 624

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$2.13 PKR 590

87.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$0.16 PKR 44.06

775.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$10.15 PKR 2,810

475.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$0.88 PKR 244

318.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.53 PKR 146

505.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$2.12 PKR 586

834.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.25 PKR 346

-15.20%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

19.09%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-33.05%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$109 PKR 30.3K

37.94%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$5.40 PKR 1,495

351.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$16.19 PKR 4,480

101.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$17.15 PKR 4,746

203.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$11.40 PKR 3,155

61.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$4.36 PKR 1,206

184.17%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$46.28 PKR 12.8K

1044.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$1,513 PKR 418.7K

676.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$17.14 PKR 4,745

169.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$23.35 PKR 6,462

25.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

-18.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$35.05 PKR 9,701

120.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$141 PKR 39.0K

301.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$78.9 PKR 21.8K

393.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$322 PKR 89.1K

310.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$172 PKR 47.7K

342.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$1,047 PKR 289.7K

417.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$523 PKR 144.7K

425.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$189 PKR 52.4K

992.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

14.1

-84.89%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pakistan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Pakistan

$79 16.7% 79.7% $310

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Pakistan

$95 20.1% 69.1% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Pakistan

$131 27.7% 37% $77

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Pakistan

$60 12.6% 55.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Pakistan

$68 14.4% 29.5% $28

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Pakistan

$14 3% 82.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Pakistan

$26 5.5% 66.4% $51

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $522 in Japan vs $124 in Pakistan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,288 in Tokyo and $269 in Islamabad.

Average salary: $1,926 in Japan vs $185 in Pakistan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 321% higher in Japan.

Dining out costs 154% more in Japan.

Public transport is 467% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 941% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

4 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

223,773,700

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Pakistan 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Pakistan

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 Pakistan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 174% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Japan: a central one-bedroom averages $522 versus $124 in Pakistan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Pakistan, adding to the overall 174% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan, but in Japan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Pakistan 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.