Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $986 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Kurume

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,688 in Tokyo versus $986 in Kurume.

Tokyo $1,688
Kurume $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,588 in Tokyo versus $1,555 in Kurume.

Tokyo $2,588
Kurume $1,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Tokyo versus $2,124 in Kurume.

Tokyo $3,489
Kurume $2,124

Living in Tokyo is roughly 71% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 24% above, Kurume is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,220

$4.30 ¥679

79.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.51 ¥5,923

$42.56 ¥6,720

-11.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥790

$3.85 ¥607

30.13%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ¥580

$1.88 ¥298

95.74%

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

$1.51 ¥239

$0.69 ¥108

118.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥133

$0.53 ¥84.3

60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥596

$3.13 ¥494

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 ¥908

$1.63 ¥257

252.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.30 ¥206

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.29 ¥203

34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.80 ¥916

$5.01 ¥791

15.77%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$1.87 ¥296

20.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 ¥1,815

$17.95 ¥2,834

-35.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,099

$5.52 ¥872

26.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 ¥2,588

$19.22 ¥3,034

-14.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$3.54 ¥559

33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$1.86 ¥294

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$2.92 ¥461

45.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 ¥847

$3.25 ¥514

65.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.20 ¥348

49.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.62 ¥413

14.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.04 ¥165

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.96 ¥152

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$3.57 ¥564

8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$6.52 ¥1,030

49.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.68 ¥265

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ¥420

$1.10 ¥174

141.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.47 ¥233

-14.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,858

$58.0 ¥9,163

7.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥497

$4.15 ¥655

-24.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 ¥495

$2.31 ¥365

35.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.98 ¥2,996

$17.66 ¥2,788

7.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$0.65 ¥103

70.77%

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

$22.5K ¥3.6M

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-0.31%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

0.59%

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

$147 ¥23.2K

$215 ¥34.0K

-31.77%

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

$23.17 ¥3,659

$24.93 ¥3,937

-7.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ¥4,752

$22.65 ¥3,576

32.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ¥9,069

$55.8 ¥8,806

2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 ¥4,181

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 ¥2,114

$6.91 ¥1,091

93.78%

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

$1,410 ¥222.7K

$695 ¥109.7K

102.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$12.5K ¥2.0M

48.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥8,735

$48.99 ¥7,735

12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.43 ¥5,120

$12.62 ¥1,992

156.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$25.10 ¥3,962

156.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$31.59 ¥4,987

128.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ¥209.9K

$549 ¥86.7K

142.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥115.0K

$127 ¥20.1K

472.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 ¥414.0K

$485 ¥76.6K

440.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 ¥221.2K

$318 ¥50.2K

340.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K ¥1.7M

$3,977 ¥627.8K

169.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,054 ¥798.0K

$2,146 ¥338.9K

135.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 ¥476.6K

$1,510 ¥238.4K

99.92%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kurume: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$729 43.2%

Kurume

$127 12.9% 82.5% $601

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$327 19.4%

Kurume

$301 30.5% 8.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 11.9%

Kurume

$263 26.7% 31.3% $63

Eating Out

Tokyo

$161 9.5%

Kurume

$92 9.4% 42.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Kurume

$53 5.4% 47.3% $48

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.1%

Kurume

$80 8.1% 7.7% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$84 5%

Kurume

$70 7.1% 17.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Tokyo and $549 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 100% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tokyo vs $43 in Kurume. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $301, with Kurume cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

303,316

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Kurume differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,688 vs $986 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 100% 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: $1,329 in Tokyo versus $549 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $38 versus $43 in Kurume. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $986 in Kurume versus $1,688 in Tokyo, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kurume wins on affordability, Tokyo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.