Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Yaren

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $531 a month against $1,635 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Yaren
Learn more

Yaren Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo and in Yaren

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Tokyo vs $531 in Yaren, rent included.

Tokyo $1,635
Yaren $531

A couple spends around $2,608 per month in Tokyo vs $2,918 in Yaren, rent included.

Tokyo $2,608
Yaren $2,918

A family of three spends $3,581 per month in Tokyo vs $5,305 in Yaren, rent included.

Tokyo $3,581
Yaren $5,305

Tokyo costs about 208% more than Yaren, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tokyo sits 22% above the global median, while Yaren is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,207

$10.72 A$15.40

-28.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,087

$24.65 A$35.41

56.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥799

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥570

$3.52 A$5.06

2.56%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$1.03 A$1.48

57.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$1.07 A$1.54

-19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥583

$7.08 A$10.17

-47.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥834

$5.00 A$7.18

5.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$3.10 A$4.46

-50.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.74 A$2.50

1.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,684

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,646

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥684

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥835

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$3.41 A$4.89

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.45 A$4.95

-7.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$3.52 A$5.06

-66.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,466

$17.72 A$25.46

-47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.43 A$2.05

-9.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,819

$87.2 A$125

-28.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$7.01 A$10.07

-56.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$3.55 A$5.10

-9.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,909

$42.35 A$60.8

-56.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.70 A$2.44

-37.06%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$34.8K A$49.9K

-36.21%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$10.4K A$15.0K

46.77%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

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

$21.97 ¥3,472

$7.00 A$10.05

213.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,810

$27.63 A$39.69

10.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$0.01 A$0.02

650700.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,039

$13.90 A$19.97

83.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,034

$7.17 A$10.29

79.50%

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

$1,360 ¥215.0K

$347 A$499

291.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$10.6K A$15.2K

72.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,932

$14.17 A$20.36

298.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,241

$10.66 A$15.31

211.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$34.98 A$50.2

83.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$69.6 A$100.0

3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.5K

$2,828 A$4,062

-54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥405.5K

$5,101 A$7,327

-49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.0K

$4,267 A$6,129

-65.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥662.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

-43.75%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Yaren: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Yaren

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Yaren

$115 * 22.1% 64.6% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Yaren

$35 * 6.6% 82.7% $165

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Yaren

$182 * 34.8% 14.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Yaren

$58 11.2% 42.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Yaren

$14 2.8% 84.2% $76

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Yaren

$118 22.6% 36.1% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,275 in Tokyo versus $2,828 in Yaren. 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 $25.00 in Yaren. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $115 – making Yaren the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇳🇷 Yaren

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

3 h ahead of Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

1,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tokyo Yaren 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
Yaren

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 Yaren: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,635 in Tokyo, $531 in Yaren – roughly 208% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,453 per month in Tokyo and $796 in Yaren. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 182% more in Tokyo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Tokyo and $25.00 in Yaren. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yaren, where all-in costs run around $531, than in Tokyo at $1,635. In Yaren 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 $531 in Yaren to $1,635 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 Yaren. 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.