Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Turkey: $1,215 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more

Turkey Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Turkey

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

A single person spends $1,297 per month in Japan vs $1,215 in Turkey, rent included.

Japan $1,297
Turkey $1,215

A couple spends around $1,998 per month in Japan vs $1,854 in Turkey, rent included.

Japan $1,998
Turkey $1,854

A family of three spends $2,699 per month in Japan vs $2,492 in Turkey, rent included.

Japan $2,699
Turkey $2,492

Cost ranges are similar: Japan spans $724–$1,648, Turkey $657–$1,757. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Japan is about 7% higher than in Turkey on average.

Both Japan and Turkey are more affordable than the global median – Japan 4% lower, Turkey 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$9.96 ₺493

-35.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$40.08 ₺1,984

-19.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$9.02 ₺447

-42.68%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$3.76 ₺186

-18.35%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$1.54 ₺76.4

-24.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.51 ₺25.49

54.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.69 ₺183

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.52 ₺224

-18.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.02 ₺50.4

45.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.02 ₺50.7

41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$2.09 ₺103

128.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$2.28 ₺113

-8.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$9.73 ₺482

18.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$4.91 ₺243

23.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$20.15 ₺998

-14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$1.80 ₺89.2

166.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$2.02 ₺100

19.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$1.06 ₺52.7

287.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$1.35 ₺67.0

225.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.57 ₺28.37

380.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$0.47 ₺23.45

448.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$0.98 ₺48.30

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.65 ₺32.11

26.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$2.21 ₺109

80.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$11.99 ₺594

-38.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.17 ₺108

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.91 ₺144

-11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$0.78 ₺38.48

79.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$37.92 ₺1,878

53.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$1.42 ₺70.5

159.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.83 ₺41.08

286.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$8.16 ₺404

142.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.39 ₺69.0

-23.74%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$42.6K ₺2.1M

-49.18%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-60.96%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$76.9 ₺3,808

96.29%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$10.58 ₺524

130.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$15.58 ₺772

109.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$54.7 ₺2,708

-4.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$20.51 ₺1,015

-10.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$6.87 ₺340

80.35%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$696 ₺34.5K

-23.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$16.1K ₺798.8K

-27.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$54.4 ₺2,693

-15.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$41.94 ₺2,077

-30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$101 ₺5,013

-39.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$93.4 ₺4,622

-17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$613 ₺30.4K

-7.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$439 ₺21.7K

-11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$1,041 ₺51.6K

26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$711 ₺35.2K

7.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$1,659 ₺82.1K

226.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$1,123 ₺55.6K

144.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$1,082 ₺53.6K

91.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

41.67

-94.89%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Turkey

$439 36.1% 12.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Turkey

$239 19.7% 22.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Turkey

$103 8.5% 50.4% $105

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Turkey

$188 15.5% 39% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Turkey

$131 10.8% 35.7% $34

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Turkey

$47 3.8% 44.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Turkey

$68 5.6% 11% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $522 in Japan vs $442 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,288 in Tokyo and $766 in Ankara.

Average salary: $1,926 in Japan vs $1,040 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Japan.

Public transport is 240% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 85% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

6 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

85,372,377

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Japan Turkey 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Turkey is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Japan: a central one-bedroom averages $522 versus $442 in Turkey.

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

Turkey 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.