Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

Tokyo $1,648
Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

Tokyo $2,604
Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,561 in Tokyo versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

Tokyo $3,561
Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Tokyo is roughly 28% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 22% above, Kumamoto is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$7.13 ¥1,126

9.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$31.86 ¥5,034

21.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.96 ¥942

-16.28%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$3.22 ¥508

11.18%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$1.05 ¥166

49.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.70 ¥111

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$3.74 ¥591

0.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$2.26 ¥357

130.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.36 ¥215

13.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.90 ¥299

-7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$6.64 ¥1,050

-16.27%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$1.86 ¥294

20.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$17.81 ¥2,814

-36.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$5.47 ¥865

23.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$18.87 ¥2,981

-10.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$3.72 ¥587

25.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.86 ¥294

22.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$2.78 ¥439

55.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.36 ¥530

55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.16 ¥342

54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.61 ¥413

14.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.04 ¥164

11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.91 ¥143

-8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.94 ¥623

-1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$5.61 ¥887

69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.70 ¥268

-4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.83 ¥290

43.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.50 ¥236

-18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$52.5 ¥8,291

18.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.84 ¥606

-16.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.00 ¥317

54.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$18.05 ¥2,852

3.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.06 ¥167

4.72%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

0.03%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-14.25%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$210 ¥33.2K

-29.59%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$24.28 ¥3,835

-6.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$33.30 ¥5,261

-10.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$52.9 ¥8,359

23.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$10.95 ¥1,729

20.73%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$126 ¥20.0K

938.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

44.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$48.56 ¥7,672

11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$25.99 ¥4,106

25.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$65.3 ¥10.3K

0.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$47.20 ¥7,457

49.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$541 ¥85.4K

138.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$328 ¥51.9K

108.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

124.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$723 ¥114.2K

102.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$4,158 ¥656.8K

121.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

143.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

1.97

14.21%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 52% $356

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 4.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 33.5% $67

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 9.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 16.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 18.7% $17

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 15.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Tokyo and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $32.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $312 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

738,865

💱 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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Kumamoto differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,648 vs $1,283 including rent). Kumamoto 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 $1,924 in Kumamoto 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 $541 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 19% 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 $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.