Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,482 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,482

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki and in Tokyo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,482 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,648 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,482
Tokyo $1,648

A couple spends around $2,253 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,604 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,253
Tokyo $2,604

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Kawasaki vs $3,561 in Tokyo, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,023
Tokyo $3,561

Kawasaki is about 10% cheaper than Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kawasaki and Tokyo sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 9%, Tokyo by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.78 ¥1,230

$7.79 ¥1,230

-0.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 ¥6,057

$38.57 ¥6,094

-0.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$4.99 ¥788

-0.60%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ¥425

$3.58 ¥565

-24.86%

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

$1.57 ¥249

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥134

$0.90 ¥142

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 ¥501

$3.75 ¥593

-15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥506

$5.22 ¥825

-38.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.55 ¥246

-3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ¥233

$1.75 ¥277

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 ¥689

$5.56 ¥879

-21.58%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥350

$2.25 ¥355

-1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 ¥1,750

$11.31 ¥1,787

-2.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 ¥1,086

$6.76 ¥1,068

1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 ¥2,585

$16.83 ¥2,658

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 ¥959

$4.66 ¥736

30.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥432

$2.27 ¥359

20.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.09 ¥805

$4.33 ¥683

17.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 ¥808

$5.23 ¥826

-2.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 ¥525

$3.33 ¥526

-0.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 ¥499

$3.00 ¥474

5.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥189

$1.16 ¥183

2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.83 ¥130

-4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥604

$3.88 ¥613

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 ¥1,480

$9.53 ¥1,506

-1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥372

$1.63 ¥257

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.62 ¥414

1.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 ¥305

$1.22 ¥193

58.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.93 ¥7,888

$62.3 ¥9,848

-19.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥507

$3.19 ¥505

0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥506

$3.09 ¥489

3.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.47 ¥2,918

$18.70 ¥2,954

-1.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.11 ¥175

-3.60%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-1.83%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

0.29%

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

$125 ¥19.7K

$148 ¥23.4K

-15.73%

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

$23.27 ¥3,676

$22.75 ¥3,594

2.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.05 ¥4,906

$29.86 ¥4,717

3.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.9 ¥8,678

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.46 ¥1,021

$26.19 ¥4,137

-75.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 ¥1,990

$13.22 ¥2,089

-4.69%

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

$574 ¥90.6K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-56.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-19.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.21 ¥7,775

$54.3 ¥8,584

-9.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$32.73 ¥5,172

-0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 ¥10.1K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

-2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ¥11.3K

$70.6 ¥11.2K

1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 ¥121.5K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 ¥90.8K

$684 ¥108.1K

-15.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ¥199.5K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-49.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 ¥162.6K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,732 ¥747.7K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-48.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,204 ¥506.1K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-24.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,557 ¥404.0K

$2,994 ¥473.0K

-14.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

2.25

-10.22%

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

Last update for Kawasaki: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawasaki

$575 38.8%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 19% $109

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$332 22.4%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 1.8% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$179 12.1%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 12.1% $22

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$141 9.5%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 12.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$98 6.6%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 2.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$80 5.4%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 14.8% $12

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 11.7% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Kawasaki 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 17% 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 $38.00 in Kawasaki versus $39.00 in Tokyo. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Kawasaki vs $326 in Tokyo – so Tokyo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

Same time as Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

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

Kawasaki vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo costs about 11% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,223 per month in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Kawasaki and $39.00 in Tokyo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,482 in Kawasaki and $1,648 in Tokyo. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,482, than in Tokyo at $1,648. In Kawasaki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,482 versus $1,648 in Tokyo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Kawasaki. 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.