Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,648 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo versus $1,187 in Koriyama.

Tokyo $1,648
Koriyama $1,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $1,881 in Koriyama.

Tokyo $2,604
Koriyama $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,561 in Tokyo versus $2,575 in Koriyama.

Tokyo $3,561
Koriyama $2,575

Living in Tokyo is roughly 39% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 22% above, Koriyama is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$6.12 ¥967

27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$31.16 ¥4,923

23.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.13 ¥810

-2.73%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$2.96 ¥468

20.95%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$1.24 ¥195

26.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.78 ¥124

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$2.70 ¥426

38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$3.17 ¥501

64.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.46 ¥230

6.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.56 ¥246

12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$4.20 ¥664

32.38%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$2.01 ¥317

11.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$10.18 ¥1,609

11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$6.65 ¥1,051

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$16.68 ¥2,635

0.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$3.65 ¥576

27.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.27 ¥358

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$2.89 ¥457

49.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$4.07 ¥643

28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.47 ¥390

34.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.55 ¥402

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.29 ¥204

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.84 ¥133

-1.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.85 ¥608

0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$6.80 ¥1,074

40.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.85 ¥293

-11.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$2.11 ¥333

24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.52 ¥241

-19.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$53.0 ¥8,380

17.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.22 ¥508

-0.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.87 ¥453

7.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$18.64 ¥2,945

0.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.10 ¥174

0.91%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

5.10%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

-1.12%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$134 ¥21.2K

10.19%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$24.63 ¥3,890

-7.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$31.55 ¥4,984

-5.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$52.2 ¥8,243

25.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$12.02 ¥1,899

9.98%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$523 ¥82.7K

151.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$12.6K ¥2.0M

41.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$49.37 ¥7,799

10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$31.64 ¥4,999

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$61.0 ¥9,639

7.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$87.4 ¥13.8K

-19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$542 ¥85.6K

137.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$325 ¥51.4K

110.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$1,102 ¥174.1K

127.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$739 ¥116.8K

97.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$4,230 ¥668.2K

117.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,778 ¥280.8K

137.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.21

1.81%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Koriyama

$325 27.4% 52.5% $359

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Koriyama

$287 24.2% 11.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Koriyama

$191 16.1% 5% $10

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Koriyama

$128 10.8% 19.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Koriyama

$103 8.7% 2.9% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Koriyama

$76 6.4% 17.1% $16

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Koriyama

$77 6.5% 10.7% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Tokyo and $542 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $31.00 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $287 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

327,692

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Koriyama differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,648 vs $1,187 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,473 in Tokyo and $1,781 in Koriyama 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: $1,288 in Tokyo versus $542 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 18% less than in Tokyo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,314 in Tokyo versus $523 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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 Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.