Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Cheltenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,663 a month against $2,327 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Cheltenham

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 Cheltenham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $2,327 in Cheltenham.

Tokyo $1,663
Cheltenham $2,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $3,528 in Cheltenham.

Tokyo $2,592
Cheltenham $3,528

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $4,729 in Cheltenham.

Tokyo $3,521
Cheltenham $4,729

Living in Tokyo costs roughly 29% less than in Cheltenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 23% above, Cheltenham 72% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$23.67 £17.75

-68.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$105 £79.1

-64.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$11.03 £8.28

-55.58%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$4.89 £3.67

-25.97%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$2.56 £1.92

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$1.74 £1.31

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$7.76 £5.82

-52.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$6.54 £4.91

-19.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.73 £1.30

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.71 £1.29

2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.99 £1.49

182.91%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$4.43 £3.33

-50.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$8.19 £6.15

36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$9.59 £7.19

-28.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$13.09 £9.82

26.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$3.10 £2.32

54.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.43 £1.07

56.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$1.93 £1.45

118.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$3.49 £2.62

49.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$1.52 £1.14

116.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$1.51 £1.13

101.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.21 £0.91

-1.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$1.42 £1.07

-42.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$23.12 £17.35

-83.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$10.63 £7.98

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$2.86 £2.15

-43.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.93 £2.20

-7.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$3.44 £2.58

-63.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$92.5 £69.4

-30.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$3.53 £2.65

-11.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.64 £1.23

95.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$26.85 £20.14

-30.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.87 £1.40

-43.85%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$37.1K £27.8K

-41.89%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$41.2K £30.9K

-63.18%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$341 £256

-56.41%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$17.10 £12.83

26.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$51.0 £38.24

-39.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$44.28 £33.22

50.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$39.01 £29.27

-34.43%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$14.00 £10.50

-9.43%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$2,020 £1,516

-33.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$25.2K £18.9K

-28.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$98.2 £73.7

-42.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$48.22 £36.18

-31.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$106 £79.4

-39.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$96.9 £72.7

-27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,161 £871

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$929 £697

-24.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$2,149 £1,613

16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,617 £1,213

-11.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$5,704 £4,279

65.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$5,676 £4,258

-25.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$4,753 £3,566

-36.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

5.54

-59.39%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Cheltenham

$929 39.9% 32.7% $229

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Cheltenham

$292 12.6% 10.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Cheltenham

$409 17.6% 104% $208

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Cheltenham

$350 15.1% 123% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Cheltenham

$157 6.8% 56.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Cheltenham

$72 3.1% 21.5% $20

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Cheltenham

$118 5.1% 34% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $105 in Cheltenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $292, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

16:24 4:24 PM

8 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

115,300

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tokyo Cheltenham 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
Cheltenham

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 Cheltenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Cheltenham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $1,161 in Cheltenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $105 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,663 per month in Tokyo versus $2,327 in Cheltenham – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,663 in Tokyo versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tokyo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tokyo and Cheltenham are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.