Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,663 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Madrid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Tokyo $1,663
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $3,296 in Madrid.

Tokyo $2,592
Madrid $3,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $4,328 in Madrid.

Tokyo $3,521
Madrid $4,328

Living in Tokyo costs roughly 27% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 23% above, Madrid 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$18.20 €16.19

-58.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$68.1 €60.5

-44.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$11.24 €9.99

-56.41%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$3.15 €2.80

14.92%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$3.36 €2.99

-50.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$2.36 €2.10

-64.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$3.83 €3.40

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$4.92 €4.38

6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.32 €1.17

12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.61 €1.43

8.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.65 €1.47

241.21%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$4.07 €3.62

-45.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$15.82 €14.07

-29.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$9.49 €8.44

-27.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$17.52 €15.59

-5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$2.56 €2.27

87.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$2.09 €1.86

7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.47 €2.19

70.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$2.49 €2.22

108.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.26 €2.01

45.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$2.15 €1.91

41.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.57 €1.40

-24.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$1.07 €0.95

-24.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$6.55 €5.82

-40.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$7.65 €6.81

26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.17 €1.04

39.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.22 €1.97

21.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.63 €1.45

-23.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$36.42 €32.39

75.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$3.73 €3.32

-16.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$1.54 €1.37

108.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$29.17 €25.95

-36.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.78 €1.58

-41.01%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$35.5K €31.6K

-39.27%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$33.2K €29.6K

-54.37%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$189 €168

-21.38%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$17.48 €15.55

23.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$34.32 €30.53

-10.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$48.62 €43.25

37.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$18.44 €16.40

38.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$11.04 €9.82

14.86%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$693 €617

94.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$17.8K €15.8K

0.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$84.6 €75.3

-33.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$42.50 €37.80

-22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$110 €98.1

-41.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$112 €99.9

-37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,506 €1,339

-16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$1,170 €1,041

-40.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$2,756 €2,451

-9.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,845 €1,641

-22.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$9,168 €8,155

2.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$4,234 €3,766

0.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$2,483 €2,209

20.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

3.14

-28.34%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.7% 67.1% $470

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Madrid

$303 13.4% 6.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Madrid

$241 10.6% 19.9% $40

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Madrid

$269 11.9% 71.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Madrid

$157 7% 56.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Madrid

$71 3.1% 23.2% $21

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Madrid

$54 2.4% 38.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $1,506 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $68.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $303, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

00:51 12:51 AM

17:51 5:51 PM

7 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tokyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $1,506 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,663 in Tokyo versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tokyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,663 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tokyo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tokyo and Madrid 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 Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.