Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $1,760 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,760

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,760 per month in Spain vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

Spain $1,760
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $2,581 per month in Spain vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

Spain $2,581
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $3,402 per month in Spain vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

Spain $3,402
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($937–$2,649) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain is about 36% higher than in Japan on average.

Spain sits 30% above the global median, while Japan is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$6.39 ¥1,010

161.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 €49.76

$32.17 ¥5,082

73.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.90

$5.17 ¥816

115.28%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.17

$3.07 ¥486

-20.85%

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

$2.63 €2.34

$1.16 ¥183

126.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.79 ¥125

129.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.24 ¥512

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.39

$3.70 ¥585

3.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.48 ¥233

-20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.44 ¥228

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$4.77 ¥754

-66.46%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$2.09 ¥331

59.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 €12.82

$11.54 ¥1,823

24.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.41

$6.05 ¥956

37.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 €14.50

$17.21 ¥2,718

-5.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$4.80 ¥758

-46.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.41 ¥380

-15.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.11 ¥649

-50.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$4.40 ¥695

-42.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.74 ¥433

-33.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$2.58 ¥408

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.26 ¥199

7.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.82 ¥130

-9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.65

$3.99 ¥630

59.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$7.35 ¥1,161

-24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.92 ¥303

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.59 ¥409

-22.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.40 ¥222

22.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.15 €29.49

$58.4 ¥9,225

-43.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.02

$3.68 ¥582

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.34

$3.21 ¥507

-53.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.43 €21.73

$19.82 ¥3,131

23.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.06 ¥168

68.87%

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

$35.9K €32.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

65.84%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

97.60%

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

$150 €133

$151 ¥23.9K

-0.65%

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

$17.57 €15.62

$24.37 ¥3,851

-27.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 €27.86

$32.59 ¥5,149

-3.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.55 €40.52

$52.1 ¥8,228

-12.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.00 €13.34

$18.37 ¥2,903

-18.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.43

$12.39 ¥1,957

-23.57%

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

$544 €484

$529 ¥83.7K

2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K €9,563

$11.8K ¥1.9M

-8.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 €74.8

$46.12 ¥7,287

82.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 €32.82

$29.36 ¥4,639

25.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 €78.7

$61.7 ¥9,750

43.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.8

$77.2 ¥12.2K

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 €904

$565 ¥89.3K

79.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 €705

$389 ¥61.4K

103.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 €1,428

$1,321 ¥208.8K

21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,075

$761 ¥120.3K

58.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,093 €3,640

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-24.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,581 €2,296

$2,746 ¥433.8K

-6.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,001 €1,780

$2,068 ¥326.6K

-3.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.13

54.93%

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

Last update for Spain: October 20, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$793 45%

Japan

$389 30% 50.9% $404

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.4%

Japan

$308 23.7% 13.3% $36

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.6%

Japan

$135 10.4% 43.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.3%

Japan

$208 16% 4.6% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$141 8%

Japan

$96 7.4% 31.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$65 3.7%

Japan

$77 5.9% 19.2% $12

Getting Around

Spain

$52 3%

Japan

$84 6.5% 60.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $913 in Spain vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,509 in Madrid and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $1,977 in Spain vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 75% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 73% more in Spain.

Public transport is 76% more expensive in Japan.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

7 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Spain Japan 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
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

Spain vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 36% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $913 versus $522 in Japan.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Japan, but in Spain it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Japan 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.