Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $1,760 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
Learn more

Spain Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Spain

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

A single person spends $1,297 per month in Japan vs $1,760 in Spain, rent included.

Japan $1,297
Spain $1,760

A couple spends around $1,998 per month in Japan vs $2,581 in Spain, rent included.

Japan $1,998
Spain $2,581

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Japan vs $3,402 in Spain, rent included.

Japan $2,699
Spain $3,402

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($937–$2,649) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Japan is roughly 26% lower than in Spain on average.

Japan sits 4% below the global median, while Spain is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$16.72 €14.87

-61.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$56.0 €49.76

-42.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$11.13 €9.90

-53.55%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.43 €2.17

26.34%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$2.63 €2.34

-55.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.81 €1.61

-56.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.40 €3.03

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$3.82 €3.39

-3.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.17 €1.04

26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.50 €1.33

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$1.60 €1.43

198.12%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$3.33 €2.96

-37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$14.41 €12.82

-19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$8.33 €7.41

-27.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$16.30 €14.50

5.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$2.57 €2.29

86.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$2.04 €1.82

18.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.04 €1.82

101.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$2.55 €2.27

72.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.83 €1.63

49.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$2.03 €1.80

27.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.36 €1.21

-7.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.74 €0.66

10.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$6.35 €5.65

-37.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$5.52 €4.91

33.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.31 €1.17

46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.02 €1.80

28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$1.71 €1.52

-18.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$33.15 €29.49

76.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$4.52 €4.02

-18.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.50 €1.34

114.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$24.43 €21.73

-18.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.79 €1.59

-40.78%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$35.9K €32.0K

-39.70%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$31.2K €27.7K

-49.39%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$150 €133

0.65%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$17.57 €15.62

38.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$31.32 €27.86

4.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$45.55 €40.52

14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$15.00 €13.34

22.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$9.47 €8.43

30.83%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$544 €484

-2.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$10.8K €9,563

9.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$84.1 €74.8

-45.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$36.90 €32.82

-20.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$88.5 €78.7

-30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$104 €92.8

-26.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$1,017 €904

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$793 €705

-50.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$1,605 €1,428

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$1,209 €1,075

-37.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$4,093 €3,640

32.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$2,581 €2,296

6.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$2,001 €1,780

3.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

3.3

-35.45%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Spain

$793 45% 104% $404

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Spain

$272 15.4% 11.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Spain

$199 11.3% 4.4% $9.1

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Spain

$239 13.6% 77% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Spain

$141 8% 46.4% $45

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Spain

$52 3% 37.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Spain

$65 3.7% 16.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $522 in Japan vs $913 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,288 in Tokyo and $1,509 in Madrid.

Average salary: $1,926 in Japan vs $1,977 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 75% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 73% more in Spain.

Public transport is 76% more expensive in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

7 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

47,415,750

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Japan Spain 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 36% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $913 versus $522 in Japan.

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

Japan 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.