Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,181 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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 Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,688 per month in Tokyo vs $1,181 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Tokyo $1,688
Setagaya-ku $1,181

A couple spends around $2,588 per month in Tokyo vs $1,896 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Tokyo $2,588
Setagaya-ku $1,896

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Tokyo vs $2,612 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Tokyo $3,489
Setagaya-ku $2,612

Tokyo costs about 43% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tokyo sits 24% above the global median, while Setagaya-ku is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 ¥1,218

$6.34 ¥999

21.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.51 ¥5,915

$25.75 ¥4,060

45.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥789

$4.54 ¥716

10.35%

Cappuccino

$3.68 ¥580

$2.99 ¥472

23.08%

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

$1.51 ¥239

$1.07 ¥169

41.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥133

$0.66 ¥104

28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥595

$2.18 ¥343

72.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 ¥907

$3.08 ¥486

86.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.23 ¥195

21.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.68 ¥265

2.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.80 ¥914

$3.68 ¥580

57.61%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥354

$1.19 ¥187

89.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 ¥1,813

$10.58 ¥1,669

8.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 ¥1,098

$6.03 ¥951

15.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 ¥2,585

$14.29 ¥2,253

14.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 ¥746

$5.74 ¥906

-17.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥359

$2.73 ¥430

-16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 ¥672

$2.80 ¥442

52.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 ¥846

$4.32 ¥681

24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$2.55 ¥402

29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 ¥473

$2.61 ¥411

14.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.25 ¥197

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.55 ¥86.9

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.70 ¥583

5.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.44 ¥1,016

50.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.76 ¥278

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ¥419

$2.01 ¥317

32.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.29 ¥204

-3.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,845

$64.1 ¥10.1K

-2.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥496

$3.18 ¥502

-0.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 ¥494

$2.74 ¥432

14.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.98 ¥2,992

$20.65 ¥3,257

-8.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.07 ¥168

3.74%

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

$22.5K ¥3.5M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

1.23%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

-2.26%

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

$147 ¥23.2K

$134 ¥21.2K

9.26%

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

$23.17 ¥3,654

$24.08 ¥3,797

-3.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ¥4,746

$32.71 ¥5,159

-7.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ¥9,057

$48.13 ¥7,590

19.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 ¥4,175

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 ¥2,111

$11.31 ¥1,783

18.39%

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

$1,410 ¥222.4K

$835 ¥131.7K

68.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

27.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥8,724

$62.1 ¥9,794

-10.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.43 ¥5,114

$37.00 ¥5,834

-12.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$62.8 ¥9,906

2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$105 ¥16.5K

-31.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ¥209.6K

$560 ¥88.3K

137.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥114.9K

$307 ¥48.4K

137.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,622 ¥413.5K

$1,100 ¥173.4K

138.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 ¥220.9K

$774 ¥122.1K

80.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K ¥1.7M

$4,023 ¥634.4K

166.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,054 ¥796.9K

$1,996 ¥314.8K

153.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 ¥476.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

12.50%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$729 43.2%

Setagaya-ku

$307 26% 57.9% $422

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$327 19.4%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.8% 14% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 11.9%

Setagaya-ku

$191 16.2% 4.5% $8.9

Eating Out

Tokyo

$161 9.5%

Setagaya-ku

$124 10.5% 22.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Setagaya-ku

$120 10.2% 18.9% $19

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.1%

Setagaya-ku

$86 7.3% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$84 5%

Setagaya-ku

$71 6% 16% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,329 in Tokyo versus $560 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $38 in Tokyo versus $26 in Setagaya-ku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $281 – making Setagaya-ku the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

943,664

💱 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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo costs about 43% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,533 per month in Tokyo and $1,771 in Setagaya-ku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Setagaya-ku, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $560 there versus $1,329 in Tokyo.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Tokyo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tokyo and $26 in Setagaya-ku. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,688 in Tokyo and $1,181 in Setagaya-ku. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Setagaya-ku – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.