Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,077 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo versus $1,077 in Kawagoe.

Tokyo $1,648
Kawagoe $1,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $1,740 in Kawagoe.

Tokyo $2,604
Kawagoe $1,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,561 in Tokyo versus $2,403 in Kawagoe.

Tokyo $3,561
Kawagoe $2,403

Living in Tokyo is roughly 53% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 22% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$6.38 ¥1,008

22.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$40.59 ¥6,413

-4.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.04 ¥796

-0.99%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$3.50 ¥553

2.29%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$0.90 ¥142

74.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.48 ¥75.1

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$1.92 ¥304

95.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$2.76 ¥436

89.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.16 ¥184

33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.24 ¥196

41.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$3.71 ¥586

49.87%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$2.08 ¥328

8.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$6.14 ¥971

84.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$6.17 ¥976

9.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$14.52 ¥2,294

15.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$5.56 ¥878

-16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.35 ¥371

-3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$2.89 ¥456

49.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.06 ¥484

70.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.64 ¥417

26.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$1.85 ¥293

62.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.29 ¥204

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.75 ¥119

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.87 ¥611

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$4.79 ¥756

98.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.73 ¥274

-5.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$2.02 ¥320

29.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$3.01 ¥476

-59.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$52.7 ¥8,332

18.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.09 ¥488

3.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.72 ¥429

13.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$20.79 ¥3,284

-10.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$16.0K ¥2.5M

37.20%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$12.7K ¥2.0M

18.36%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$131 ¥20.7K

12.88%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$22.44 ¥3,546

1.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$31.30 ¥4,945

-4.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$43.58 ¥6,885

50.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

$31.91 ¥5,041

-17.93%

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$10.93 ¥1,727

20.95%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$319 ¥50.4K

312.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$6,306 ¥996.3K

183.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$31.95 ¥5,047

70.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$32.66 ¥5,160

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$44.47 ¥7,026

47.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$96.5 ¥15.2K

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$414 ¥65.4K

210.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$267 ¥42.1K

156.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$851 ¥134.5K

194.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$591 ¥93.4K

146.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$2,565 ¥405.3K

258.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,765 ¥278.8K

139.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

$1,564 ¥247.1K

91.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

1.6

40.62%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 61% $418

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 21.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Kawagoe

$185 17.2% 7.9% $16

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Kawagoe

$129 12% 19.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Kawagoe

$93 8.6% 7.8% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 28.8% $27

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Kawagoe

$81 7.6% 5.1% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Tokyo and $414 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 91% 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: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $41.00 in Kawagoe. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $257, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

350,745

💱 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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Kawagoe differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,648 vs $1,077 including rent). Kawagoe is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% 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: $1,288 in Tokyo versus $414 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kawagoe – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $39.00 in Tokyo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,648 per month in Tokyo versus $1,077 in Kawagoe – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,077 in Kawagoe versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kawagoe but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.