Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,176 a month against $1,360 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
Learn more

Yokohama Living Index

Jump to prices

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,176

/mo nomad

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sendai and in Yokohama

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

A single person spends $1,176 per month in Sendai vs $1,360 in Yokohama, rent included.

Sendai $1,176
Yokohama $1,360

A couple spends around $1,851 per month in Sendai vs $2,056 in Yokohama, rent included.

Sendai $1,851
Yokohama $2,056

A family of three spends $2,527 per month in Sendai vs $2,751 in Yokohama, rent included.

Sendai $2,527
Yokohama $2,751

Sendai is about 14% cheaper than Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 ¥1,014

$6.31 ¥999

1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.38 ¥5,440

$40.38 ¥6,389

-14.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥747

$5.20 ¥823

-9.23%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ¥575

$3.39 ¥536

7.08%

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

$1.02 ¥162

$1.05 ¥167

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.80 ¥126

7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 ¥294

$2.46 ¥389

-24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥487

$3.19 ¥504

-3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥223

$1.41 ¥224

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.72 ¥273

-13.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 ¥1,075

$3.61 ¥571

88.09%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥332

$2.09 ¥331

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ¥1,716

$10.57 ¥1,673

2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 ¥1,835

$6.03 ¥954

92.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 ¥1,400

$14.29 ¥2,261

-38.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ¥541

$5.76 ¥911

-40.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ¥350

$2.81 ¥444

-21.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ¥734

$2.81 ¥445

65.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 ¥499

$4.14 ¥656

-23.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 ¥397

$2.63 ¥416

-4.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.57 ¥407

-11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ¥222

$1.54 ¥243

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.81 ¥128

53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ¥712

$3.90 ¥617

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 ¥1,075

$6.21 ¥983

9.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.73 ¥274

-5.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥437

$2.11 ¥334

30.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.36 ¥215

11.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.94 ¥6,003

$63.8 ¥10.1K

-40.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 ¥846

$3.10 ¥491

72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 ¥465

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.36 ¥2,905

$28.40 ¥4,494

-35.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.11 ¥175

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

$16.0K ¥2.5M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-25.42%

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

$25.5K ¥4.0M

$15.5K ¥2.5M

64.21%

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

$140 ¥22.2K

$134 ¥21.2K

4.37%

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

$30.45 ¥4,819

$24.36 ¥3,854

25.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.00 ¥5,539

$31.80 ¥5,032

10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.12 ¥7,140

$49.26 ¥7,795

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.64 ¥2,001

$11.38 ¥1,801

11.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 ¥1,599

$13.00 ¥2,058

-22.23%

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

$225 ¥35.6K

$1,103 ¥174.5K

-79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,760 ¥595.0K

$25.1K ¥4.0M

-85.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 ¥9,045

$63.1 ¥9,981

-9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 ¥5,309

$36.36 ¥5,754

-7.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.61 ¥5,636

$61.7 ¥9,766

-42.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 ¥8,448

$101 ¥16.0K

-47.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥91.9K

$1,082 ¥171.2K

-46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.2K

$466 ¥73.8K

-27.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 ¥108.1K

$1,953 ¥309.0K

-65.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 ¥115.2K

$784 ¥124.1K

-7.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ¥429.2K

$5,787 ¥915.7K

-53.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 ¥221.9K

$3,995 ¥632.2K

-64.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 ¥154.3K

$2,576 ¥407.6K

-62.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

2.64

3.41%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 31, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$336 28.6%

Yokohama

$466 34.3% 38.6% $130

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$306 26%

Yokohama

$291 21.4% 5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$206 17.5%

Yokohama

$190 14% 7.4% $15

Eating Out

Sendai

$132 11.2%

Yokohama

$133 9.8% 0.7% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Yokohama

$118 8.7% 46% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Yokohama

$75 5.5% 15.2% $9.9

Getting Around

Sendai

$49 * 4.2%

Yokohama

$87 6.4% 76.4% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $581 in Sendai versus $1,082 in Yokohama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yokohama are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Sendai versus $40 in Yokohama. Groceries tell a different story – $306 in Sendai vs $291 in Yokohama – so Yokohama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

Same time as Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

3,777,491

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sendai Yokohama 330 km

From you

Sendai
Yokohama

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

Sendai vs Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yokohama costs about 16% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,763 per month in Sendai and $2,041 in Yokohama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $581 there versus $1,082 in Yokohama.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Sendai and $40 in Yokohama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,176 in Sendai and $1,360 in Yokohama. That makes Sendai about 14% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,176 in Sendai and $1,360 in Yokohama. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sendai costs $1,176 versus $1,360 in Yokohama. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sendai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Yokohama makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.