Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,686 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,686

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Ube

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

A single person spends $1,686 per month in Tokyo vs $1,240 in Ube, rent included.

Tokyo $1,686
Ube $1,240

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Tokyo vs $1,925 in Ube, rent included.

Tokyo $2,604
Ube $1,925

A family of three spends $3,522 per month in Tokyo vs $2,610 in Ube, rent included.

Tokyo $3,522
Ube $2,610

Tokyo costs about 36% more than Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tokyo sits 25% above the global median, while Ube is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.67 ¥1,215

$6.98 ¥1,106

9.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.82 ¥5,993

$34.82 ¥5,518

8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥824

$5.61 ¥889

-7.31%

Cappuccino

$3.69 ¥584

$3.20 ¥508

15.31%

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

$1.69 ¥268

$1.14 ¥181

48.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.81 ¥128

6.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ¥598

$2.02 ¥320

86.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 ¥899

$3.09 ¥489

83.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.51 ¥240

1.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ¥268

$1.57 ¥249

7.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥875

$4.80 ¥760

15.00%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥363

$2.20 ¥349

4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,773

$9.93 ¥1,573

12.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.82 ¥1,080

$6.37 ¥1,010

7.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 ¥2,716

$15.50 ¥2,456

10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ¥722

$5.25 ¥832

-13.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.62 ¥415

-16.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 ¥678

$3.97 ¥629

7.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.05 ¥800

$4.46 ¥707

13.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 ¥495

$3.31 ¥525

-5.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 ¥460

$2.69 ¥427

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ¥191

$1.38 ¥218

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.82 ¥131

-6.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥639

$4.04 ¥640

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,529

$6.65 ¥1,054

45.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥265

$1.97 ¥312

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ¥446

$2.35 ¥372

19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.60 ¥253

-22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 ¥10.0K

$56.5 ¥8,952

12.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥514

$3.39 ¥538

-4.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥493

$2.90 ¥459

7.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.81 ¥2,981

$21.04 ¥3,334

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.18 ¥188

-6.78%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-0.55%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

-11.04%

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

$159 ¥25.2K

$142 ¥22.5K

12.23%

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

$23.73 ¥3,760

$27.14 ¥4,301

-12.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.06 ¥4,764

$34.42 ¥5,455

-12.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 ¥9,274

$57.7 ¥9,150

1.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.75 ¥4,081

$13.93 ¥2,208

84.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 ¥2,103

$12.94 ¥2,050

2.55%

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

$1,423 ¥225.5K

$277 ¥44.0K

412.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K ¥3.7M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

73.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥8,670

$42.73 ¥6,772

28.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.56 ¥5,159

$29.68 ¥4,704

9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$60.0 ¥9,505

7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 ¥11.6K

$91.1 ¥14.4K

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 ¥207.2K

$462 ¥73.3K

182.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 ¥113.2K

$330 ¥52.3K

116.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 ¥424.0K

$860 ¥136.2K

211.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 ¥225.5K

$648 ¥102.7K

119.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K ¥1.8M

$2,856 ¥452.6K

287.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 ¥876.3K

$1,757 ¥278.4K

214.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,845 ¥450.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

1.81

24.31%

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

Last update for Tokyo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$714 42.4%

Ube

$330 26.6% 53.8% $384

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$323 19.2%

Ube

$306 24.7% 5.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$213 12.6%

Ube

$203 16.4% 4.5% $9.6

Eating Out

Tokyo

$162 9.6%

Ube

$135 10.9% 16.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6%

Ube

$101 8.1% 0.6% $0.6

Getting Around

Tokyo

$87 5.2%

Ube

$81 6.5% 7.3% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$85 5.1%

Ube

$84 6.8% 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,308 in Tokyo versus $462 in Ube. 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 $35 in Ube. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $306 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

162,570

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,686 in Tokyo, $1,240 in Ube – Ube comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,529 per month in Tokyo and $1,859 in Ube. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ube, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $462 there versus $1,308 in Tokyo.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Tokyo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Tokyo and $35 in Ube. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ube, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Tokyo at $1,686. In Ube it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ube – 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.

For expats, Ube is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 26% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.