Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Shizuoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Shizuoka: $1,148 a month against $1,392 in Kobe, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Shizuoka
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Shizuoka Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Shizuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kobe and in Shizuoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $1,148 in Shizuoka.

Kobe $1,392
Shizuoka $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $1,798 in Shizuoka.

Kobe $2,067
Shizuoka $1,798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $2,448 in Shizuoka.

Kobe $2,742
Shizuoka $2,448

Living in Kobe is roughly 21% more expensive than in Shizuoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kobe is 2% above, Shizuoka is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,216

$6.30 ¥995

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,031

$31.90 ¥5,037

-0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥776

$5.13 ¥809

-4.29%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥375

$2.87 ¥453

-17.42%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$0.98 ¥155

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥90.0

$0.72 ¥114

-20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$2.63 ¥415

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$3.83 ¥605

-39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.50 ¥237

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.29 ¥204

3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥658

$4.32 ¥682

-3.47%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥322

$1.85 ¥292

10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,990

$7.18 ¥1,134

75.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,070

$5.37 ¥848

26.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,694

$14.04 ¥2,216

21.51%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,216

$3.33 ¥526

131.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥484

$2.03 ¥320

50.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥784

$3.39 ¥535

46.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,217

$3.16 ¥499

143.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$1.51 ¥239

154.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.19 ¥188

189.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.17 ¥184

-3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.88 ¥139

6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥549

$3.75 ¥593

-7.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,271

$8.62 ¥1,362

-6.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.47 ¥232

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥229

$3.11 ¥491

-53.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.82 ¥288

-20.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,856

$57.3 ¥9,040

9.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.40 ¥536

-8.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥511

$1.86 ¥294

74.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,218

$18.90 ¥2,984

41.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.08 ¥171

-1.85%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-10.87%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

1.47%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$139 ¥22.0K

6.12%

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

$23.26 ¥3,672

$15.65 ¥2,470

48.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,933

$31.27 ¥4,937

-0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,405

$51.2 ¥8,082

-8.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,868

$10.73 ¥1,695

10.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,031

$12.04 ¥1,901

6.81%

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

$321 ¥50.6K

$319 ¥50.4K

0.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥969.5K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

-53.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,990

$18.15 ¥2,865

178.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,949

$22.10 ¥3,489

13.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,260

$62.0 ¥9,781

-25.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.4K

$92.0 ¥14.5K

-28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥109.0K

$335 ¥53.0K

105.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.1K

$340 ¥53.7K

36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.7K

$1,024 ¥161.7K

7.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.4K

$732 ¥115.6K

0.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥682.9K

$4,248 ¥670.6K

1.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥456.9K

$2,319 ¥366.2K

24.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥311.8K

$2,263 ¥357.3K

-12.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

102.00%

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

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shizuoka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kobe

$463 33.3%

Shizuoka

$340 29.6% 26.5% $123

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

Shizuoka

$254 22.1% 28.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

Shizuoka

$186 16.2% 8% $16

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

Shizuoka

$128 11.1% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

Shizuoka

$77 6.7% 11.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Shizuoka

$87 7.6% 3.8% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

Shizuoka

$75 6.6% 3.6% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $335 in Shizuoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shizuoka pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $32 in Shizuoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $254, with Shizuoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇯🇵 Shizuoka

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

Same time as Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

701,803

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Kobe vs Shizuoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shizuoka wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Kobe. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shizuoka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Kobe. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $691 in Kobe versus $335 in Shizuoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Kobe versus $319 in Shizuoka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Shizuoka runs roughly 8% less than in Kobe. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kobe and Shizuoka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.