Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kamiyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamiyama: $1,235 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kamiyama
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Kamiyama Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Kamiyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Kamiyama

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

A single person spends $1,648 per month in Tokyo vs $1,235 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Tokyo $1,648
Kamiyama $1,235

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Tokyo vs $1,928 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Tokyo $2,604
Kamiyama $1,928

A family of three spends $3,561 per month in Tokyo vs $2,621 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Tokyo $3,561
Kamiyama $2,621

Tokyo costs about 33% more than Kamiyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tokyo sits 22% above the global median, while Kamiyama is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$6.73 ¥1,063

15.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$34.01 ¥5,372

13.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.49 ¥868

-9.11%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$3.09 ¥487

15.86%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$1.14 ¥180

37.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.76 ¥120

18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$2.13 ¥336

76.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$3.21 ¥507

62.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.52 ¥241

1.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.58 ¥250

10.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$4.89 ¥772

13.70%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$2.29 ¥362

-1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$10.03 ¥1,584

12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$6.43 ¥1,016

5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$15.27 ¥2,412

10.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$5.46 ¥863

-14.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.65 ¥419

-14.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$3.95 ¥624

9.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$4.61 ¥728

13.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$3.21 ¥507

3.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.56 ¥404

17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.33 ¥210

-12.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.83 ¥132

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$4.27 ¥674

-9.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$6.40 ¥1,011

48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.90 ¥300

-14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$2.39 ¥377

9.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.59 ¥252

-23.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$56.1 ¥8,865

11.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.45 ¥545

-7.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.01 ¥475

2.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$20.71 ¥3,271

-9.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.19 ¥189

-6.72%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$23.1K ¥3.6M

-4.73%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.0K ¥2.7M

-11.32%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$139 ¥21.9K

6.97%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$27.16 ¥4,291

-16.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$33.67 ¥5,319

-11.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$57.2 ¥9,033

14.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

$14.14 ¥2,234

85.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$13.05 ¥2,061

1.30%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$282 ¥44.6K

365.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$13.1K ¥2.1M

36.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$43.36 ¥6,850

25.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$29.72 ¥4,695

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$60.5 ¥9,557

8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$90.7 ¥14.3K

-22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$463 ¥73.2K

177.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$332 ¥52.4K

106.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$879 ¥138.8K

185.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$670 ¥105.9K

117.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$2,777 ¥438.8K

231.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,786 ¥282.2K

136.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

1.81

24.31%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kamiyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Kamiyama

$332 26.8% 51.6% $353

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Kamiyama

$307 24.9% 5.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Kamiyama

$199 16.1% 0.7% $1.4

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Kamiyama

$132 10.7% 17.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Kamiyama

$101 8.2% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Kamiyama

$83 6.7% 9.5% $8.7

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Kamiyama

$81 6.6% 5.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,288 in Tokyo versus $463 in Kamiyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tokyo versus $34.00 in Kamiyama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $307 – making Kamiyama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Kamiyama

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

5,300

💱 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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Tokyo Kamiyama 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Kamiyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tokyo is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,473 per month in Tokyo and $1,853 in Kamiyama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 6% more in Tokyo, 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 $39.00 in Tokyo and $34.00 in Kamiyama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kamiyama, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Tokyo at $1,648. In Kamiyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kamiyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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