Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,663 a month against $2,520 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Brisbane

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

A single person spends $1,663 per month in Tokyo vs $2,520 in Brisbane, rent included.

Tokyo $1,663
Brisbane $2,520

A couple spends around $2,592 per month in Tokyo vs $3,730 in Brisbane, rent included.

Tokyo $2,592
Brisbane $3,730

A family of three spends $3,521 per month in Tokyo vs $4,940 in Brisbane, rent included.

Tokyo $3,521
Brisbane $4,940

Tokyo is about 34% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tokyo and Brisbane sit above the global median – Tokyo by 23%, Brisbane by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$17.58 A$25.29

-57.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$69.8 A$101

-46.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$11.18 A$16.09

-56.17%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$4.26 A$6.13

-15.02%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$2.88 A$4.15

-42.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$2.50 A$3.60

-66.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$8.55 A$12.30

-56.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$8.10 A$11.66

-35.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.62 A$2.33

-8.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$2.66 A$3.83

-34.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$2.20 A$3.17

155.91%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$4.93 A$7.10

-55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$9.03 A$12.99

23.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$9.04 A$13.01

-24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$13.86 A$19.94

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$4.11 A$5.92

16.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$3.00 A$4.32

-25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.91 A$4.18

45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$4.87 A$7.01

6.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.74 A$3.95

20.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$2.44 A$3.51

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$2.40 A$3.46

-50.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$1.22 A$1.76

-33.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$38.84 A$55.9

-89.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$12.35 A$17.78

-21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$5.12 A$7.37

-68.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$4.90 A$7.04

-44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.36 A$0.52

247.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$20.68 A$29.76

208.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$3.05 A$4.39

2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.77 A$2.55

81.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$41.12 A$59.2

-54.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.45 A$2.08

-27.59%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$26.7K A$38.4K

-19.32%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$27.8K A$39.9K

-45.37%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$159 A$228

-6.46%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$25.86 A$37.21

-16.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$60.3 A$86.8

-49.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$61.9 A$89.1

7.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$22.88 A$32.93

11.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$17.41 A$25.06

-27.17%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$1,928 A$2,774

-29.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$12.6K A$18.1K

42.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$84.4 A$121

-33.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$44.85 A$64.5

-26.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$110 A$159

-41.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$109 A$157

-35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,927 A$2,773

-34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$1,325 A$1,906

-47.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$3,276 A$4,714

-23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$2,266 A$3,261

-36.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$8,315 A$12.0K

13.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$5,955 A$8,569

-28.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$4,100 A$5,900

-26.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

5.81

-61.27%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.6% 89.3% $625

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Brisbane

$357 14.2% 10% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Brisbane

$245 9.7% 22% $44

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 95% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Brisbane

$157 6.2% 55.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Brisbane

$97 3.8% 5.1% $4.7

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 61.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Tokyo versus $1,927 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Tokyo versus $70.0 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $357 – making Tokyo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

1 h ahead of Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Tokyo Brisbane 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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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

Tokyo vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 52% more than Tokyo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,495 per month in Tokyo and $3,781 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tokyo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Tokyo and $70.0 in Brisbane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Tokyo, where all-in costs run around $1,663, than in Brisbane at $2,520. In Tokyo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tokyo costs $1,663 versus $2,520 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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