Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setagaya-ku and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,181 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
Learn more

Setagaya-ku Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,181

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,181 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $1,688 in Tokyo, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $1,181
Tokyo $1,688

A couple spends around $1,896 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $2,588 in Tokyo, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $1,896
Tokyo $2,588

A family of three spends $2,612 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $3,489 in Tokyo, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $2,612
Tokyo $3,489

Setagaya-ku is about 30% cheaper than Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Setagaya-ku sits 13% below the global median, while Tokyo is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥999

$7.72 ¥1,218

-17.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.75 ¥4,060

$37.51 ¥5,915

-31.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥716

$5.01 ¥789

-9.38%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥472

$3.68 ¥580

-18.75%

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

$1.07 ¥169

$1.51 ¥239

-29.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥104

$0.85 ¥133

-22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 ¥343

$3.77 ¥595

-42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥486

$5.75 ¥907

-46.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥195

$1.49 ¥235

-17.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥265

$1.73 ¥273

-2.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 ¥580

$5.80 ¥914

-36.55%

Eggs

$1.19 ¥187

$2.25 ¥354

-47.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.58 ¥1,669

$11.50 ¥1,813

-8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ¥951

$6.96 ¥1,098

-13.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.29 ¥2,253

$16.39 ¥2,585

-12.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.74 ¥906

$4.73 ¥746

21.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥430

$2.28 ¥359

19.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$4.26 ¥672

-34.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 ¥681

$5.37 ¥846

-19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$3.29 ¥519

-22.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥411

$3.00 ¥473

-13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.15 ¥181

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.9

$0.80 ¥126

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥583

$3.89 ¥614

-4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 ¥1,016

$9.72 ¥1,533

-33.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.70 ¥269

3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥317

$2.66 ¥419

-24.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.25 ¥197

3.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 ¥10.1K

$62.4 ¥9,845

2.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$3.15 ¥496

0.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥432

$3.14 ¥494

-12.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.65 ¥3,257

$18.98 ¥2,992

8.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.11 ¥175

-3.60%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$22.5K ¥3.5M

-1.21%

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

$15.7K ¥2.5M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

2.32%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$147 ¥23.2K

-8.48%

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

$24.08 ¥3,797

$23.17 ¥3,654

3.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.71 ¥5,159

$30.10 ¥4,746

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 ¥7,590

$57.4 ¥9,057

-16.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 ¥4,175

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 ¥1,783

$13.39 ¥2,111

-15.53%

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

$835 ¥131.7K

$1,410 ¥222.4K

-40.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-21.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ¥9,794

$55.3 ¥8,724

12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.00 ¥5,834

$32.43 ¥5,114

14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.8 ¥9,906

$64.4 ¥10.2K

-2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$72.1 ¥11.4K

45.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.3K

$1,329 ¥209.6K

-57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 ¥48.4K

$729 ¥114.9K

-57.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.4K

$2,622 ¥413.5K

-58.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ¥122.1K

$1,401 ¥220.9K

-44.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 ¥634.4K

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-62.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥314.8K

$5,054 ¥796.9K

-60.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 ¥476.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

-11.11%

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

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setagaya-ku

$307 26%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 137% $422

Groceries & Markets

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.8%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 16.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setagaya-ku

$191 16.2%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 4.7% $8.9

Eating Out

Setagaya-ku

$124 10.5%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 29.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Setagaya-ku

$120 10.2%

Tokyo

$101 6% 15.9% $19

Getting Around

Setagaya-ku

$86 7.3%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Setagaya-ku

$71 6%

Tokyo

$84 5% 19% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,329 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 $26 in Setagaya-ku versus $38 in Tokyo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $327 – making Setagaya-ku the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

Same time as Setagaya-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

943,664

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Setagaya-ku Tokyo 11 km

From you

Setagaya-ku
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

Setagaya-ku vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo costs about 43% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,771 per month in Setagaya-ku and $2,533 in Tokyo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Setagaya-ku, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $560 there versus $1,329 in Tokyo.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Tokyo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Setagaya-ku and $38 in Tokyo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,181 in Setagaya-ku and $1,688 in Tokyo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Setagaya-ku – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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