Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakistan and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakistan: $473 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Pakistan
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Pakistan Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

Jump to prices

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$473

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pakistan and in Japan

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

A single person spends $473 per month in Pakistan vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

Pakistan $473
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $720 per month in Pakistan vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

Pakistan $720
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $968 per month in Pakistan vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

Pakistan $968
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in Japan ($724–$1,648) than in Pakistan ($291–$602), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Pakistan is roughly 64% lower than in Japan on average.

Both Pakistan and Japan are more affordable than the global median – Pakistan 65% lower, Japan 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.10 PKR 583

$6.39 ¥1,010

-67.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 PKR 3,793

$32.17 ¥5,082

-57.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 PKR 1,539

$5.17 ¥816

7.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 PKR 591

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 PKR 1,234

Cappuccino

$1.98 PKR 549

$3.07 ¥486

-35.50%

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

$0.37 PKR 104

$1.16 ¥183

-68.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 PKR 58.0

$0.79 ¥125

-73.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 PKR 243

$1.48 ¥233

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 PKR 163

$1.44 ¥228

-59.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 336

$4.77 ¥754

-74.63%

Eggs

$1.22 PKR 337

$2.09 ¥331

-41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.66 PKR 1,566

$11.54 ¥1,823

-50.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 PKR 779

$6.05 ¥956

-53.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.19 PKR 1,436

$17.21 ¥2,718

-69.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 PKR 334

$4.80 ¥758

-74.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 PKR 181

$2.41 ¥380

-73.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 PKR 247

$4.11 ¥649

-78.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 PKR 164

$4.40 ¥695

-86.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 84.8

$2.74 ¥433

-88.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 PKR 114

$2.58 ¥408

-84.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 PKR 95.5

$1.26 ¥199

-72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 PKR 104

$0.82 ¥130

-53.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.07 PKR 573

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 PKR 309

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 PKR 624

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 PKR 590

$3.99 ¥630

-46.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 PKR 44.06

$1.40 ¥222

-88.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.15 PKR 2,810

$58.4 ¥9,225

-82.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 244

$3.68 ¥582

-76.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 PKR 146

$3.21 ¥507

-83.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 PKR 586

$19.82 ¥3,131

-89.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 PKR 346

$1.06 ¥168

17.92%

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

$18.2K PKR 5.0M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-16.03%

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

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

49.35%

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

$109 PKR 30.3K

$151 ¥23.9K

-27.50%

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

$5.40 PKR 1,495

$24.37 ¥3,851

-77.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.19 PKR 4,480

$32.59 ¥5,149

-50.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.15 PKR 4,746

$52.1 ¥8,228

-67.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.40 PKR 3,155

$18.37 ¥2,903

-37.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.36 PKR 1,206

$12.39 ¥1,957

-64.81%

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

$46.28 PKR 12.8K

$529 ¥83.7K

-91.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,513 PKR 418.7K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

-87.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.14 PKR 4,745

$46.12 ¥7,287

-62.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 PKR 6,462

$29.36 ¥4,639

-20.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 PKR 21.0K

$61.7 ¥9,750

22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.05 PKR 9,701

$77.2 ¥12.2K

-54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$141 PKR 39.0K

$565 ¥89.3K

-75.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.9 PKR 21.8K

$389 ¥61.4K

-79.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 PKR 89.1K

$1,321 ¥208.8K

-75.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 PKR 47.7K

$761 ¥120.3K

-77.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 PKR 289.7K

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-80.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$523 PKR 144.7K

$2,746 ¥433.8K

-80.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$189 PKR 52.4K

$2,068 ¥326.6K

-90.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.1

2.13

561.97%

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

Last update for Pakistan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakistan

$131 27.7%

Japan

$208 16% 58.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Pakistan

$95 20.1%

Japan

$308 23.7% 224% $213

Accommodation & Living

Pakistan

$79 16.7%

Japan

$389 30% 393% $310

Clothing & Footwear

Pakistan

$68 14.4%

Japan

$96 7.4% 41.8% $28

Eating Out

Pakistan

$60 12.6%

Japan

$135 10.4% 126% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Pakistan

$26 5.5%

Japan

$77 5.9% 197% $51

Getting Around

Pakistan

$14 3%

Japan

$84 6.5% 486% $69

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $124 in Pakistan vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $269 in Islamabad and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $185 in Pakistan vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 321% higher in Japan.

Dining out costs 154% more in Japan.

Public transport is 467% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 941% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Pakistan

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

4 h ahead of Pakistan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,773,700

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

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Between locations

Pakistan Japan 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Pakistan
Japan

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

Pakistan vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakistan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 174% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Japan: a central one-bedroom averages $522 versus $124 in Pakistan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Pakistan, adding to the overall 174% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan, but in Japan it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Pakistan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.