Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsuyama and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsuyama: $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 Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Matsuyama $1,277
Tokyo $1,648

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,604 in Tokyo, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,017
Tokyo $2,604

A family of three spends $2,758 per month in Matsuyama vs $3,561 in Tokyo, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,758
Tokyo $3,561

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 ¥1,008

$7.79 ¥1,230

-18.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.99 ¥4,896

$38.57 ¥6,094

-19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 ¥744

$4.99 ¥788

-5.61%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥376

$3.58 ¥565

-33.52%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.57 ¥249

-24.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.7

$0.90 ¥142

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ¥330

$3.75 ¥593

-44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥361

$5.22 ¥825

-56.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.55 ¥246

-3.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$1.75 ¥277

-24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$5.56 ¥879

-2.88%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥329

$2.25 ¥355

-7.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 ¥1,974

$11.31 ¥1,787

10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 ¥1,498

$6.76 ¥1,068

40.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,134

$16.83 ¥2,658

93.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥579

$4.66 ¥736

-21.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥367

$2.27 ¥359

2.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.34 ¥1,001

$4.33 ¥683

46.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥670

$5.23 ¥826

-18.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.33 ¥526

10.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$3.00 ¥474

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.16 ¥183

6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥154

$0.83 ¥130

16.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥555

$3.88 ¥613

-9.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 ¥1,262

$9.53 ¥1,506

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.63 ¥257

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.62 ¥414

-45.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.22 ¥193

18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.7 ¥8,327

$62.3 ¥9,848

-15.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.19 ¥505

1.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.09 ¥489

-0.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.40 ¥4,170

$18.70 ¥2,954

41.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.11 ¥175

-0.90%

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

$20.0K ¥3.2M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-8.99%

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

$16.7K ¥2.6M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

10.88%

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

$144 ¥22.8K

$148 ¥23.4K

-2.61%

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

$23.66 ¥3,738

$22.75 ¥3,594

4.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 ¥6,819

$29.86 ¥4,717

44.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ¥8,379

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-19.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 ¥1,982

$13.22 ¥2,089

-5.14%

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

$319 ¥50.3K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,069 ¥958.9K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-66.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.43 ¥7,809

$54.3 ¥8,584

-9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.19 ¥3,980

$32.73 ¥5,172

-23.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.18 ¥7,297

$65.4 ¥10.3K

-29.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 ¥10.5K

$70.6 ¥11.2K

-6.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.2K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-59.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.8K

$684 ¥108.1K

-52.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ¥177.3K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ¥114.4K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-50.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 ¥679.6K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-53.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,726 ¥272.6K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-59.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

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 Matsuyama: 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

Matsuyama

$383 30%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 14.9% $57

Accommodation & Living

Matsuyama

$328 25.7%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 109% $357

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matsuyama

$211 16.5%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 4.9% $10

Eating Out

Matsuyama

$116 9.1%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 37.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Matsuyama

$84 6.6%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 19.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Matsuyama

$78 6.1%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 17.7% $14

Getting Around

Matsuyama

$77 6%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 11.4% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Matsuyama 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Matsuyama versus $39.00 in Tokyo. Groceries tell a different story – $383 in Matsuyama vs $326 in Tokyo – so Tokyo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

Same time as Matsuyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,192

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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Matsuyama Tokyo 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Matsuyama vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,915 per month in Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Matsuyama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $319 per month in Matsuyama and $1,314 in Tokyo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matsuyama, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Tokyo at $1,648. In Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama 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 Matsuyama. 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.