Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Ichikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Ichikawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $1,167 in Ichikawa.

Tokyo $1,663
Ichikawa $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $1,876 in Ichikawa.

Tokyo $2,592
Ichikawa $1,876

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $2,585 in Ichikawa.

Tokyo $3,521
Ichikawa $2,585

Living in Tokyo is roughly 42% more expensive than in Ichikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 23% above, Ichikawa is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$5.13 ¥811

45.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$31.09 ¥4,912

20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$4.30 ¥680

13.95%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$2.23 ¥352

62.33%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$0.72 ¥113

130.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.35 ¥55.7

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$2.50 ¥395

47.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$3.18 ¥502

64.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.38 ¥218

7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.65 ¥261

6.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$3.66 ¥578

53.83%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$1.97 ¥311

11.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$10.53 ¥1,663

6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$5.86 ¥926

16.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$14.38 ¥2,272

15.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$5.53 ¥874

-13.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$2.80 ¥442

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.81 ¥444

50.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$4.26 ¥673

22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.61 ¥413

26.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$2.56 ¥404

19.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.28 ¥202

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$0.75 ¥118

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$3.73 ¥590

5.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$6.38 ¥1,007

51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.78 ¥281

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.02 ¥320

33.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.35 ¥213

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$59.9 ¥9,457

6.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$2.73 ¥432

17.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$20.59 ¥3,253

-9.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.2K ¥3.4M

1.60%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.5K ¥2.9M

-18.16%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$132 ¥20.8K

12.64%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$23.97 ¥3,788

-9.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$31.98 ¥5,052

-4.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$47.04 ¥7,431

41.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$12.80 ¥2,022

-0.94%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$642 ¥101.4K

110.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

22.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$62.0 ¥9,801

-9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$37.27 ¥5,889

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$60.5 ¥9,559

6.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$102 ¥16.1K

-31.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$495 ¥78.3K

152.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$317 ¥50.1K

120.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$1,186 ¥187.3K

111.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$763 ¥120.5K

87.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$4,455 ¥703.9K

111.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$1,881 ¥297.2K

125.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.64

-14.77%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Ichikawa

$317 27.1% 54.7% $383

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Ichikawa

$287 24.6% 11.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Ichikawa

$188 16.1% 6.4% $13

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Ichikawa

$104 8.9% 33.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Ichikawa

$118 10.1% 17% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Ichikawa

$73 6.2% 21.1% $19

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Ichikawa

$82 7% 6.8% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $495 in Ichikawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $31.00 in Ichikawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $287 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

496,676

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 Ichikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Ichikawa differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,663 vs $1,167 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,495 in Tokyo and $1,751 in Ichikawa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $495 in Ichikawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $37.00 in Tokyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.