Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kanazawa and in Tokyo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kanazawa and in Tokyo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,648 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,277
Tokyo $1,648

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,604 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,031
Tokyo $2,604

A family of three spends $2,786 per month in Kanazawa vs $3,561 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,786
Tokyo $3,561

Kanazawa is about 23% cheaper than Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kanazawa sits 6% below the global median, while Tokyo is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,206

$7.79 ¥1,230

-1.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.61 ¥4,994

$38.57 ¥6,094

-18.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥747

$4.99 ¥788

-5.21%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ¥358

$3.58 ¥565

-36.87%

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

$1.14 ¥180

$1.57 ¥249

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.2

$0.90 ¥142

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥320

$3.75 ¥593

-45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥368

$5.22 ¥825

-55.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.55 ¥246

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥208

$1.75 ¥277

-24.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 ¥837

$5.56 ¥879

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$2.25 ¥355

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ¥1,978

$11.31 ¥1,787

10.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 ¥1,487

$6.76 ¥1,068

39.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.96 ¥5,049

$16.83 ¥2,658

89.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$4.66 ¥736

-22.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$2.27 ¥359

0.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$4.33 ¥683

49.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥655

$5.23 ¥826

-20.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$3.33 ¥526

12.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 ¥540

$3.00 ¥474

14.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.16 ¥183

10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥163

$0.83 ¥130

24.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ¥561

$3.88 ¥613

-8.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ¥1,327

$9.53 ¥1,506

-11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.63 ¥257

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥239

$2.62 ¥414

-41.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.22 ¥193

22.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ¥8,598

$62.3 ¥9,848

-12.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.19 ¥505

-2.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.09 ¥489

4.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 ¥4,140

$18.70 ¥2,954

40.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-7.70%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

9.01%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$148 ¥23.4K

-0.29%

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

$24.34 ¥3,845

$22.75 ¥3,594

6.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.30 ¥6,840

$29.86 ¥4,717

45.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.68 ¥6,743

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-34.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$13.22 ¥2,089

-13.24%

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

$320 ¥50.6K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-75.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,140 ¥970.0K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-65.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 ¥7,834

$54.3 ¥8,584

-8.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.27 ¥3,993

$32.73 ¥5,172

-22.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.94 ¥7,258

$65.4 ¥10.3K

-29.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 ¥10.3K

$70.6 ¥11.2K

-8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥85.1K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-58.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.6K

$684 ¥108.1K

-52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.7K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-56.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-48.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,294 ¥678.4K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-53.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,742 ¥275.3K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-58.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$2,994 ¥473.0K

-37.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

2.25

1.33%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$382 29.9%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 14.8% $56

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$327 25.6%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 110% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$215 16.9%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 6.8% $15

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$124 9.7%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 28.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$84 6.5%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 20.1% $17

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$80 6.2%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 7.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$66 5.1%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 40.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Kanazawa versus $1,288 in Tokyo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 61% higher in Tokyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kanazawa versus $39.00 in Tokyo. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Kanazawa vs $326 in Tokyo – so Tokyo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Kanazawa vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Kanazawa, $1,648 in Tokyo – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,916 per month in Kanazawa and $2,473 in Tokyo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kanazawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,277 in Kanazawa and $1,648 in Tokyo. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Tokyo at $1,648. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tokyo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,277 in Kanazawa to $1,648 in Tokyo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kanazawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.