Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
Learn more

Okayama Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $975 in Okayama versus $1,648 in Tokyo.

Okayama $975
Tokyo $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,564 in Okayama versus $2,604 in Tokyo.

Okayama $1,564
Tokyo $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,153 in Okayama versus $3,561 in Tokyo.

Okayama $2,153
Tokyo $3,561

Living in Okayama costs roughly 41% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okayama is 28% below, Tokyo is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.90 ¥933

$7.79 ¥1,230

-24.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.92 ¥3,937

$38.57 ¥6,094

-35.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥791

$4.99 ¥788

0.40%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ¥270

$3.58 ¥565

-52.23%

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

$0.71 ¥111

$1.57 ¥249

-54.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥107

$0.90 ¥142

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ¥296

$3.75 ¥593

-49.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥304

$5.22 ¥825

-63.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.55 ¥246

-12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 ¥96.4

$1.75 ¥277

-65.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$5.56 ¥879

-26.08%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥234

$2.25 ¥355

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 ¥2,426

$11.31 ¥1,787

35.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 ¥1,000

$6.76 ¥1,068

-6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 ¥2,698

$16.83 ¥2,658

1.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ¥787

$4.66 ¥736

6.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$2.27 ¥359

27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$4.33 ¥683

14.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 ¥701

$5.23 ¥826

-15.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥355

$3.33 ¥526

-32.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥291

$3.00 ¥474

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.16 ¥183

-1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥107

$0.83 ¥130

-19.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$3.88 ¥613

-1.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$9.53 ¥1,506

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.63 ¥257

19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥294

$2.62 ¥414

-29.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.22 ¥193

18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,300

$62.3 ¥9,848

-15.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.19 ¥505

0.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 ¥388

$3.09 ¥489

-20.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.52 ¥3,399

$18.70 ¥2,954

15.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ¥157

$1.11 ¥175

-10.81%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-0.16%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

2.02%

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

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$148 ¥23.4K

-51.36%

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

$14.09 ¥2,227

$22.75 ¥3,594

-38.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.42 ¥4,016

$29.86 ¥4,717

-14.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,321

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-19.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ¥1,790

$13.22 ¥2,089

-14.30%

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

$578 ¥91.3K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-56.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-16.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.16 ¥7,766

$54.3 ¥8,584

-9.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 ¥5,668

$32.73 ¥5,172

9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥9,628

$65.4 ¥10.3K

-6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 ¥15.3K

$70.6 ¥11.2K

37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.0K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-74.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥30.4K

$684 ¥108.1K

-71.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 ¥101.7K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-74.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 ¥67.7K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-70.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 ¥657.1K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-54.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,788 ¥282.4K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-57.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,377 ¥217.6K

$2,994 ¥473.0K

-53.99%

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 Okayama: 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

Okayama

$311 31.9%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 4.8% $15

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$192 19.7%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 256% $492

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$112 11.5%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 79.9% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$109 11.2%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 8.2% $9

Eating Out

Okayama

$102 10.4%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 56.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.7%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 22.1% $17

Getting Around

Okayama

$74 7.6%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 16.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Okayama and $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Okayama vs $39.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $326 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

Same time as Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

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

Okayama Tokyo 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Okayama
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

Okayama vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Okayama and Tokyo differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($975 vs $1,648 including rent). Okayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Tokyo. 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: $329 in Okayama versus $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $975 per month in Okayama versus $1,648 in Tokyo – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $975 in Okayama versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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, Okayama 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 Okayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.