Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Hirakata

For one person, living is cheaper in Hirakata: $1,225 a month against $1,686 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Hirakata
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Hirakata Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,686

/mo nomad

Hirakata

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,225

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Hirakata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Tokyo versus $1,225 in Hirakata.

Tokyo $1,686
Hirakata $1,225

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $1,941 in Hirakata.

Tokyo $2,604
Hirakata $1,941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,522 in Tokyo versus $2,657 in Hirakata.

Tokyo $3,522
Hirakata $2,657

Living in Tokyo is roughly 38% more expensive than in Hirakata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 25% above, Hirakata is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.67 ¥1,215

$8.48 ¥1,343

-9.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.82 ¥5,990

$32.09 ¥5,083

17.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥823

$5.13 ¥813

1.36%

Cappuccino

$3.69 ¥584

$2.87 ¥454

28.57%

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

$1.69 ¥268

$1.30 ¥206

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.74 ¥117

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥598

$3.19 ¥505

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 ¥899

$3.92 ¥621

44.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.46 ¥231

5.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥267

$1.30 ¥205

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥874

$5.45 ¥863

1.28%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥363

$2.15 ¥340

6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,772

$9.83 ¥1,558

13.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 ¥1,079

$6.82 ¥1,080

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 ¥2,715

$17.23 ¥2,729

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ¥722

$3.42 ¥542

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.00 ¥316

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 ¥678

$3.13 ¥496

36.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 ¥800

$4.14 ¥655

21.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 ¥494

$4.10 ¥649

-23.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 ¥460

$3.77 ¥598

-22.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ¥191

$1.32 ¥209

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.93 ¥147

-17.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥638

$3.91 ¥619

3.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,528

$9.36 ¥1,483

3.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥265

$2.61 ¥413

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ¥446

$3.24 ¥513

-13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.44 ¥228

-13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 ¥10.0K

$56.7 ¥8,986

11.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥514

$3.19 ¥506

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.23 ¥511

-3.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 ¥2,979

$16.08 ¥2,546

16.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.06 ¥168

3.77%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

3.82%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

1.08%

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

$159 ¥25.2K

$115 ¥18.3K

37.94%

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

$23.73 ¥3,758

$23.86 ¥3,779

-0.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.06 ¥4,761

$30.36 ¥4,808

-0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 ¥9,269

$50.9 ¥8,062

14.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.75 ¥4,079

$6.47 ¥1,025

297.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 ¥2,101

$12.48 ¥1,977

6.33%

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

$1,423 ¥225.4K

$689 ¥109.2K

106.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K ¥3.7M

$13.0K ¥2.1M

81.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥8,665

$48.91 ¥7,747

11.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.56 ¥5,156

$31.29 ¥4,956

4.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$60.1 ¥9,515

7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 ¥11.6K

$91.7 ¥14.5K

-20.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ¥207.1K

$556 ¥88.0K

135.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 ¥113.1K

$333 ¥52.8K

114.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 ¥423.7K

$1,036 ¥164.1K

158.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 ¥225.4K

$729 ¥115.5K

95.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K ¥1.8M

$4,216 ¥667.7K

162.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 ¥875.8K

$2,352 ¥372.5K

135.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,845 ¥450.6K

$1,875 ¥296.9K

51.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.02

11.39%

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

Last update for Tokyo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hirakata: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$714 42.4%

Hirakata

$333 27.2% 53.3% $381

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$323 19.2%

Hirakata

$310 25.3% 4.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$213 12.6%

Hirakata

$170 13.9% 20.4% $43

Eating Out

Tokyo

$162 9.6%

Hirakata

$150 12.2% 7.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Hirakata

$104 8.5% 3.2% $3.2

Getting Around

Tokyo

$87 5.2%

Hirakata

$82 6.7% 6.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$85 5.1%

Hirakata

$76 6.2% 10.8% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,308 in Tokyo and $556 in Hirakata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tokyo vs $32 in Hirakata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $310 per month, with Hirakata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Hirakata

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

402,495

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Hirakata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,686 in Tokyo and $1,225 in Hirakata, so Hirakata is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Tokyo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,308 in Tokyo versus $556 in Hirakata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hirakata runs roughly 11% less than in Tokyo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,423 in Tokyo versus $689 in Hirakata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Hirakata gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tokyo and Hirakata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Hirakata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.