Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Oita

For one person, living is cheaper in Oita: $1,309 a month against $1,648 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
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Oita Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,648

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Oita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,648 in Tokyo versus $1,309 in Oita.

Tokyo $1,648
Oita $1,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Tokyo versus $2,033 in Oita.

Tokyo $2,604
Oita $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,561 in Tokyo versus $2,757 in Oita.

Tokyo $3,561
Oita $2,757

Living in Tokyo is roughly 26% more expensive than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 22% above, Oita is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.79 ¥1,230

$7.42 ¥1,172

4.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 ¥6,094

$42.27 ¥6,677

-8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.91 ¥934

-15.57%

Cappuccino

$3.58 ¥565

$3.74 ¥591

-4.28%

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

$1.57 ¥249

$1.00 ¥159

57.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.75 ¥118

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 ¥825

$2.25 ¥355

132.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥246

$1.57 ¥248

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.93 ¥304

-9.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$6.61 ¥1,044

-15.89%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥355

$2.30 ¥364

-2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.31 ¥1,787

$17.89 ¥2,827

-36.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$5.49 ¥867

23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,658

$18.89 ¥2,985

-10.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ¥736

$3.58 ¥565

30.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.81 ¥286

25.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥683

$2.86 ¥451

51.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.42 ¥540

52.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 ¥526

$2.15 ¥340

54.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥474

$2.56 ¥404

17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.03 ¥163

12.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$0.91 ¥143

-8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 ¥1,506

$6.34 ¥1,001

50.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.71 ¥270

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.85 ¥292

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ¥193

$1.51 ¥239

-19.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 ¥9,848

$53.2 ¥8,409

17.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥505

$3.91 ¥617

-18.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.08 ¥329

48.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.70 ¥2,954

$18.07 ¥2,855

3.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.05 ¥167

5.71%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

0.59%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-14.47%

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

$148 ¥23.4K

$214 ¥33.9K

-30.89%

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

$22.75 ¥3,594

$24.34 ¥3,846

-6.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 ¥4,717

$33.96 ¥5,365

-12.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.5 ¥10.4K

$51.3 ¥8,104

27.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.19 ¥4,137

Cinema Ticket

$13.22 ¥2,089

$11.12 ¥1,757

18.88%

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

$1,314 ¥207.6K

$126 ¥20.0K

939.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$12.3K ¥1.9M

45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ¥8,584

$49.06 ¥7,751

10.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.73 ¥5,172

$26.11 ¥4,126

25.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$65.0 ¥10.3K

0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ¥11.2K

$47.12 ¥7,445

49.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ¥203.4K

$523 ¥82.6K

146.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 ¥108.1K

$336 ¥53.0K

103.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 ¥396.1K

$1,094 ¥172.9K

129.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 ¥230.6K

$723 ¥114.2K

102.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,204 ¥1.5M

$4,285 ¥677.0K

114.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$1,755 ¥277.2K

140.81%

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 Oita: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$684 41.5%

Oita

$336 25.6% 51% $349

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$326 19.8%

Oita

$317 24.2% 2.7% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.2%

Oita

$273 20.8% 35.8% $72

Eating Out

Tokyo

$159 9.7%

Oita

$152 11.6% 4.4% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$100 6.1%

Oita

$84 6.4% 16.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.6%

Oita

$74 5.6% 20% $18

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Oita

$74 5.6% 14.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Tokyo and $523 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $42.00 in Oita. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $317, with Oita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

475,614

💱 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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Tokyo Oita 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Tokyo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,473 in Tokyo and $1,964 in Oita 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 $523 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,314 in Tokyo versus $126 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,309 in Oita versus $1,648 in Tokyo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oita delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,309 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oita hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tokyo and Oita 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 Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.