Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Matsuyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsuyama: $1,277 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Matsuyama

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

A single person spends $1,648 per month in Tokyo vs $1,277 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Tokyo $1,648
Matsuyama $1,277

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Tokyo vs $2,017 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Tokyo $2,604
Matsuyama $2,017

A family of three spends $3,561 per month in Tokyo vs $2,758 in Matsuyama, rent included.

Tokyo $3,561
Matsuyama $2,758

Tokyo costs about 29% more than Matsuyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tokyo sits 22% above the global median, while Matsuyama is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

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

$30.99 ¥4,896

24.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$4.71 ¥744

5.94%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$2.38 ¥376

50.42%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$1.19 ¥188

31.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.58 ¥91.7

55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$2.09 ¥330

79.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$2.29 ¥361

127.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.50 ¥238

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.33 ¥210

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$5.40 ¥853

2.96%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$2.08 ¥329

8.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$12.49 ¥1,974

-9.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$9.48 ¥1,498

-28.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$32.49 ¥5,134

-48.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$3.67 ¥579

26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.32 ¥367

-2.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$6.34 ¥1,001

-31.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$4.24 ¥670

23.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$3.67 ¥580

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$3.45 ¥545

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.24 ¥196

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.97 ¥154

-14.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.51 ¥555

10.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$7.99 ¥1,262

19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.97 ¥312

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.44 ¥227

81.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.44 ¥228

-15.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$52.7 ¥8,327

18.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.23 ¥510

-1.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.08 ¥486

0.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$26.40 ¥4,170

-29.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.10 ¥173

0.91%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$20.0K ¥3.2M

9.88%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$16.7K ¥2.6M

-9.81%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$144 ¥22.8K

2.67%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$23.66 ¥3,738

-3.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$43.16 ¥6,819

-30.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$53.0 ¥8,379

23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$12.54 ¥1,982

5.42%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$319 ¥50.3K

312.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$6,069 ¥958.9K

194.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$49.43 ¥7,809

9.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$25.19 ¥3,980

29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$46.18 ¥7,297

41.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$66.3 ¥10.5K

6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$526 ¥83.2K

144.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$328 ¥51.8K

108.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$1,122 ¥177.3K

123.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$724 ¥114.4K

101.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$4,302 ¥679.6K

113.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,726 ¥272.6K

144.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,994 ¥473.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.28

-1.32%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Matsuyama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Matsuyama

$328 25.7% 52.1% $357

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Matsuyama

$383 30% 17.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Matsuyama

$211 16.5% 5.2% $10

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Matsuyama

$116 9.1% 27.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Matsuyama

$84 6.6% 16.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Matsuyama

$78 6.1% 15% $14

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Matsuyama

$77 6% 10.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,288 in Tokyo versus $526 in Matsuyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tokyo versus $31.00 in Matsuyama. Groceries tell a different story – $326 in Tokyo vs $383 in Matsuyama – so Tokyo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

511,192

💱 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 Matsuyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo, $1,277 in Matsuyama – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,473 per month in Tokyo and $1,915 in Matsuyama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matsuyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Matsuyama. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,314 per month in Tokyo and $319 in Matsuyama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matsuyama, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Tokyo at $1,648. In Matsuyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Tokyo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,277 in Matsuyama to $1,648 in Tokyo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Matsuyama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.