Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Japan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Japan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,478
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $3,608 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,608
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,739
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,143–$4,049) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 91% higher than in Japan on average.

The United Kingdom sits 83% above the global median, while Japan is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$6.39 ¥1,010

238.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$32.17 ¥5,082

172.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$5.17 ¥816

109.28%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$3.07 ¥486

55.37%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$1.16 ¥183

127.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.79 ¥125

137.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$3.24 ¥512

103.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$3.70 ¥585

77.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.48 ¥233

10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$1.44 ¥228

14.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$4.77 ¥754

-53.25%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$2.09 ¥331

94.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$11.54 ¥1,823

-16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$6.05 ¥956

51.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$17.21 ¥2,718

-14.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$4.80 ¥758

-39.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.41 ¥380

-31.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$4.11 ¥649

-31.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$4.40 ¥695

-24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$2.74 ¥433

-33.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$2.58 ¥408

-39.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.26 ¥199

-1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.82 ¥130

102.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$3.99 ¥630

496.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$7.35 ¥1,161

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$1.92 ¥303

53.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.59 ¥409

30.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$1.40 ¥222

150.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$58.4 ¥9,225

78.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$3.68 ¥582

47.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$3.21 ¥507

-25.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$19.82 ¥3,131

36.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.06 ¥168

84.91%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

78.57%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

161.35%

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

$323 £242

$151 ¥23.9K

113.96%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$24.37 ¥3,851

-23.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$32.59 ¥5,149

29.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$52.1 ¥8,228

-10.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$18.37 ¥2,903

-2.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$12.39 ¥1,957

11.78%

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

$1,725 £1,294

$529 ¥83.7K

225.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

92.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$46.12 ¥7,287

101.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$29.36 ¥4,639

58.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$61.7 ¥9,750

65.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$77.2 ¥12.2K

32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$565 ¥89.3K

138.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$389 ¥61.4K

182.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$1,321 ¥208.8K

63.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$761 ¥120.3K

129.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$5,415 ¥855.5K

3.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$2,746 ¥433.8K

60.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$2,068 ¥326.6K

62.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

2.13

149.77%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Japan

$389 30% 64.6% $709

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Japan

$208 16% 45.8% $176

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Japan

$135 10.4% 58.7% $192

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Japan

$308 23.7% 0.8% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Japan

$96 7.4% 37.6% $58

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Japan

$84 6.5% 38.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Japan

$77 5.9% 3.2% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,265 in the United Kingdom vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,852 in London and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $3,250 in the United Kingdom vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 142% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 152% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 73% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 69% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

17:34 5:34 PM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

125,440,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

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Between locations

United Kingdom Japan 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Japan

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

United Kingdom vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 91% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 versus $522 in Japan.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Japan, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Japan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.