Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Narita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,688 in Tokyo versus $1,203 in Narita.

Tokyo $1,688
Narita $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,588 in Tokyo versus $1,912 in Narita.

Tokyo $2,588
Narita $1,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Tokyo versus $2,620 in Narita.

Tokyo $3,489
Narita $2,620

Living in Tokyo is roughly 40% more expensive than in Narita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 24% above, Narita is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,218

$5.73 ¥904

34.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.51 ¥5,915

$41.80 ¥6,592

-10.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥789

$4.42 ¥697

13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ¥580

$3.25 ¥513

13.23%

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

$1.51 ¥239

$0.78 ¥124

93.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥133

$0.73 ¥116

16.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.07 ¥326

82.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 ¥907

$3.22 ¥508

78.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.25 ¥196

19.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.72 ¥272

0.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.80 ¥914

$3.63 ¥573

59.78%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥354

$1.98 ¥313

13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 ¥1,813

$10.31 ¥1,626

11.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,098

$6.13 ¥966

13.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 ¥2,585

$14.34 ¥2,262

14.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 ¥746

$5.83 ¥919

-18.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥359

$2.73 ¥431

-16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 ¥672

$2.91 ¥460

46.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 ¥846

$4.16 ¥656

29.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$2.64 ¥417

24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥473

$2.69 ¥423

11.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.30 ¥206

-11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.82 ¥129

-2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.78 ¥596

2.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.22 ¥980

56.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.79 ¥283

-5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ¥419

$2.09 ¥329

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.48 ¥234

-15.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,845

$64.9 ¥10.2K

-3.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥496

$3.25 ¥512

-3.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 ¥494

$1.62 ¥255

93.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.98 ¥2,992

$20.95 ¥3,303

-9.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.03 ¥162

7.77%

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

$22.5K ¥3.5M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

3.27%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

-4.59%

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

$147 ¥23.2K

$131 ¥20.6K

12.39%

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

$23.17 ¥3,654

$24.14 ¥3,806

-4.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ¥4,746

$28.35 ¥4,470

6.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ¥9,057

$52.3 ¥8,254

9.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 ¥4,175

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 ¥2,111

$11.49 ¥1,811

16.54%

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

$1,410 ¥222.4K

$828 ¥130.6K

70.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

25.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥8,724

$62.3 ¥9,818

-11.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.43 ¥5,114

$36.42 ¥5,742

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$61.0 ¥9,620

5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$105 ¥16.5K

-31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ¥209.6K

$540 ¥85.1K

146.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥114.9K

$334 ¥52.6K

118.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 ¥413.5K

$901 ¥142.1K

190.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 ¥220.9K

$700 ¥110.3K

100.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K ¥1.7M

$3,825 ¥603.2K

179.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,054 ¥796.9K

$2,316 ¥365.3K

118.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 ¥476.0K

$1,258 ¥198.3K

139.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.64

-14.77%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Narita: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$729 43.2%

Narita

$334 27.7% 54.2% $395

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$327 19.4%

Narita

$289 24% 11.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 11.9%

Narita

$183 15.2% 8.5% $17

Eating Out

Tokyo

$161 9.5%

Narita

$121 10.1% 24.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Narita

$119 9.9% 18% $18

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.1%

Narita

$82 6.8% 4.7% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$84 5%

Narita

$75 6.3% 10.6% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Tokyo and $540 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Tokyo vs $42 in Narita. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $289, with Narita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

131,613

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Tokyo is about 2.4 times higher, 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 $540 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tokyo runs roughly 4% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,410 in Tokyo versus $828 in Narita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,203 in Narita versus $1,688 in Tokyo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Narita but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Narita 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 Narita are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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