Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,648 in Tokyo.

Kumamoto $1,283
Tokyo $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,977 in Kumamoto versus $2,604 in Tokyo.

Kumamoto $1,977
Tokyo $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Kumamoto versus $3,561 in Tokyo.

Kumamoto $2,670
Tokyo $3,561

Living in Kumamoto costs roughly 22% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kumamoto is 5% below, Tokyo is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 ¥1,126

$7.79 ¥1,230

-8.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$38.57 ¥6,094

-17.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 ¥942

$4.99 ¥788

19.44%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.58 ¥565

-10.06%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.57 ¥249

-33.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.90 ¥142

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ¥591

$3.75 ¥593

-0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥357

$5.22 ¥825

-56.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.55 ¥246

-12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.75 ¥277

8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$5.56 ¥879

19.42%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥294

$2.25 ¥355

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 ¥2,814

$11.31 ¥1,787

57.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$6.76 ¥1,068

-19.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 ¥2,981

$16.83 ¥2,658

12.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 ¥587

$4.66 ¥736

-20.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$2.27 ¥359

-18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$4.33 ¥683

-35.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥530

$5.23 ¥826

-35.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$3.33 ¥526

-35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$3.00 ¥474

-13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.16 ¥183

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.83 ¥130

9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$3.88 ¥613

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ¥887

$9.53 ¥1,506

-41.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.63 ¥257

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥290

$2.62 ¥414

-30.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.22 ¥193

22.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$62.3 ¥9,848

-15.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ¥606

$3.19 ¥505

20.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ¥317

$3.09 ¥489

-35.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.05 ¥2,852

$18.70 ¥2,954

-3.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.11 ¥175

-4.50%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-0.03%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

16.62%

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

$210 ¥33.2K

$148 ¥23.4K

42.02%

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

$24.28 ¥3,835

$22.75 ¥3,594

6.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$29.86 ¥4,717

11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,359

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$13.22 ¥2,089

-17.17%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-90.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-30.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 ¥7,672

$54.3 ¥8,584

-10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.99 ¥4,106

$32.73 ¥5,172

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ¥10.3K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

-0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.20 ¥7,457

$70.6 ¥11.2K

-33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-58.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$684 ¥108.1K

-52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ¥176.8K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-50.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 ¥656.8K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-54.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 ¥274.1K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-58.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.25

-12.44%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$328 25.6%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 109% $356

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$312 24.3%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 4.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$268 20.9%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 25.1% $67

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.2%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 10.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 19.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$75 5.8%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 23% $17

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$72 5.6%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 18.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kumamoto and $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kumamoto vs $39.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $326 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

Same time as Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kumamoto Tokyo 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
Tokyo

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

Kumamoto vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Tokyo differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,283 vs $1,648 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,924 in Kumamoto and $2,473 in Tokyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $541 in Kumamoto versus $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 19% less than in Tokyo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $1,314 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Kumamoto and Tokyo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.