Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Otsu and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Otsu: $1,301 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,301

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,301 in Otsu versus $1,648 in Tokyo.

Otsu $1,301
Tokyo $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,889 in Otsu versus $2,604 in Tokyo.

Otsu $1,889
Tokyo $2,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,477 in Otsu versus $3,561 in Tokyo.

Otsu $2,477
Tokyo $3,561

Living in Otsu costs roughly 21% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Otsu is 4% below, Tokyo is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.36 ¥1,321

$7.79 ¥1,230

7.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 ¥4,894

$38.57 ¥6,094

-19.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 ¥819

$4.99 ¥788

3.81%

Cappuccino

$3.24 ¥513

$3.58 ¥565

-9.50%

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

$1.22 ¥193

$1.57 ¥249

-22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.90 ¥142

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 ¥483

$3.75 ¥593

-18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ¥717

$5.22 ¥825

-13.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥250

$1.55 ¥246

1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.75 ¥277

-8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 ¥719

$5.56 ¥879

-18.17%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥350

$2.25 ¥355

-1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.90 ¥2,512

$11.31 ¥1,787

40.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$6.76 ¥1,068

4.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.91 ¥2,672

$16.83 ¥2,658

0.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 ¥792

$4.66 ¥736

7.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$2.27 ¥359

12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.08 ¥803

$4.33 ¥683

17.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 ¥697

$5.23 ¥826

-15.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$3.33 ¥526

-32.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$3.00 ¥474

-35.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥178

$1.16 ¥183

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥140

$0.83 ¥130

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 ¥634

$3.88 ¥613

3.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 ¥1,531

$9.53 ¥1,506

1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.63 ¥257

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.62 ¥414

-20.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.22 ¥193

18.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,335

$62.3 ¥9,848

-15.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥511

$3.19 ¥505

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 ¥438

$3.09 ¥489

-10.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.11 ¥4,441

$18.70 ¥2,954

50.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.11 ¥175

-4.50%

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

$22.5K ¥3.6M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

2.23%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

0.80%

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

$116 ¥18.4K

$148 ¥23.4K

-21.59%

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

$23.14 ¥3,656

$22.75 ¥3,594

1.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 ¥4,948

$29.86 ¥4,717

4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ¥8,290

$65.5 ¥10.4K

-19.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.63 ¥1,521

$26.19 ¥4,137

-63.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.76 ¥2,016

$13.22 ¥2,089

-3.48%

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

$585 ¥92.5K

$1,314 ¥207.6K

-55.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$17.9K ¥2.8M

-29.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 ¥9,000

$54.3 ¥8,584

4.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.16 ¥5,713

$32.73 ¥5,172

10.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ¥11.1K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 ¥15.4K

$70.6 ¥11.2K

38.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 ¥69.4K

$1,288 ¥203.4K

-65.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ¥58.6K

$684 ¥108.1K

-45.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.1K

$2,507 ¥396.1K

-74.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 ¥72.3K

$1,460 ¥230.6K

-68.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 ¥660.4K

$9,204 ¥1.5M

-54.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,729 ¥273.2K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-59.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,800 ¥284.4K

$2,994 ¥473.0K

-39.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

2.25

-6.67%

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

Last update for Otsu: 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

Otsu

$371 28.5%

Tokyo

$684 41.5% 84.4% $313

Groceries & Markets

Otsu

$334 25.7%

Tokyo

$326 19.8% 2.6% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Otsu

$171 13.1%

Tokyo

$201 12.2% 17.7% $30

Eating Out

Otsu

$154 11.8%

Tokyo

$159 9.7% 3.4% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Otsu

$118 9%

Tokyo

$100 6.1% 14.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Otsu

$78 6%

Tokyo

$92 5.6% 17.9% $14

Getting Around

Otsu

$76 5.8%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 13.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $439 in Otsu and $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 66% 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: $31.00 in Otsu vs $39.00 in Tokyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $334 vs $326, with Tokyo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Otsu

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Otsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,314

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

Otsu vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Otsu wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Tokyo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Otsu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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: $439 in Otsu versus $1,288 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Otsu versus $1,314 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Tokyo pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,301 in Otsu versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Otsu but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Otsu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Otsu delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,301 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Otsu hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Otsu 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 Otsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.