Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and United Kingdom Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and United Kingdom

🙂 Solo nomad: Japan is 20.8% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 44.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Japan is 25.7% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 39.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.75 ¥970
$20.1 £14.79
-66.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.12 ¥4,902
$89.9 £66.2
-62.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.42 ¥779
$10.03 £7.38
-45.96%
Cappuccino
$3.24 ¥466
$4.71 £3.46
-31.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ¥163
$2.46 £1.81
-53.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥113
$1.69 £1.24
-53.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 ¥493
$6.59 £4.85
-47.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 ¥594
$6.27 £4.62
-34.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥223
$1.65 £1.22
-6.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 ¥221
$1.66 £1.22
-7.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.68 ¥672
$2.26 £1.67
107.08%
Eggs
$2.25 ¥323
$4.08 £3.01
-44.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.02 ¥1,726
$9.78 £7.2
22.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.67 ¥958
$8.74 £6.43
-23.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.2 ¥2,759
$14.34 £10.55
33.89%
Apples (1kg)
$5.16 ¥741
$3.04 £2.24
69.74%
Banana (1kg)
$2.52 ¥362
$1.67 £1.23
50.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.66 ¥669
$2.9 £2.13
60.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.88 ¥700
$3.47 £2.56
40.63%
Potato (1kg)
$2.84 ¥408
$1.62 £1.19
75.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ¥390
$1.6 £1.18
69.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 ¥197
$1.12 £0.82
22.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.9 ¥130
$1.57 £1.15
-42.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.17 ¥599
$20.41 £15.02
-79.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.58 ¥1,232
$10.52 £7.74
-18.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.21 ¥317
$2.83 £2.08
-21.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.9 ¥416
$3.3 £2.43
-12.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 ¥222
$3.33 £2.45
-53.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.9 ¥8,458
$94.8 £69.7
-37.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.04 ¥581
$5.46 £4.02
-26.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.87 ¥412
$1.55 £1.14
85.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.77 ¥3,415
$26.83 £19.74
-11.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ¥174
$2 £1.47
-39.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K ¥3.4M
$37.7K £27.7K
-37.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K ¥2.6M
$41.3K £30.4K
-56.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$173 ¥24.9K
$319 £235
-45.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.8 ¥3,850
$17.53 £12.9
52.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.61 ¥5,115
$41.82 £30.78
-14.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.8 ¥8,441
$45.9 £33.78
28.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.8 ¥2,270
$15.86 £11.67
-0.38%
Cinema Ticket
$13.1 ¥1,882
$13.71 £10.09
-4.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$352 ¥50.6K
$1,756 £1,293
-79.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.2K ¥1.9M
$21.2K £15.6K
-37.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.28 ¥6,935
$90.6 £66.7
-46.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.95 ¥4,590
$44.44 £32.71
-28.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.7 ¥9,009
$101 £74.3
-37.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.4 ¥12.3K
$103 £76
-17.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$597 ¥85.8K
$1,427 £1,050
-58.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$424 ¥60.9K
$1,157 £851
-63.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,373 ¥197.3K
$2,327 £1,713
-40.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$834 ¥119.8K
$1,846 £1,359
-54.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,006 ¥862.8K
$6,050 £4,452
-0.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,282 ¥471.5K
$4,820 £3,547
-31.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Japan
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,038 ¥292.7K
$3,133 £2,306
-34.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.82
5.75
-68.35%

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

Last update for Japan: October 29, 2025

Last update for United Kingdom: October 29, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.