Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,340 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
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Yokohama Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yokohama and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Yokohama versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Yokohama $1,340
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Yokohama versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Yokohama $2,054
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Yokohama versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Yokohama $2,768
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Yokohama is roughly 25% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yokohama 2% lower, Kawagoe 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,018

$6.33 ¥1,000

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 ¥6,427

$41.23 ¥6,507

-1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥820

$4.95 ¥782

4.85%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥538

$3.50 ¥552

-2.57%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.92 ¥145

15.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥116

$0.52 ¥82.6

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥410

$1.91 ¥301

36.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.74 ¥432

12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.15 ¥182

26.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.28 ¥202

36.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥567

$3.67 ¥579

-2.18%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.08 ¥328

-2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ¥1,619

$6.34 ¥1,001

61.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 ¥969

$5.90 ¥932

4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 ¥2,314

$14.16 ¥2,236

3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 ¥875

$5.82 ¥918

-4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.34 ¥369

17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ¥467

$2.88 ¥455

2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥647

$3.12 ¥492

31.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$2.54 ¥401

-0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.85 ¥292

39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.27 ¥201

2.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.76 ¥120

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.83 ¥604

1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$4.65 ¥734

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.81 ¥286

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.03 ¥320

2.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$2.97 ¥469

-53.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,853

$52.8 ¥8,338

18.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥420

$2.63 ¥415

1.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.61 ¥3,253

$20.31 ¥3,205

1.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.06 ¥168

0.94%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$15.6K ¥2.5M

38.25%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

25.49%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$133 ¥21.0K

-1.96%

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

$24.74 ¥3,905

$22.18 ¥3,500

11.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,154

$31.10 ¥4,909

4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.93 ¥7,723

$43.19 ¥6,817

13.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 ¥1,859

$30.97 ¥4,888

-61.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 ¥2,066

$10.95 ¥1,729

19.54%

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

$805 ¥127.1K

$320 ¥50.6K

151.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$6,292 ¥993.1K

137.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ¥9,730

$31.66 ¥4,997

94.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 ¥5,954

$33.72 ¥5,323

11.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 ¥9,884

$43.55 ¥6,874

43.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$93.2 ¥14.7K

9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 ¥173.1K

$407 ¥64.2K

169.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥71.0K

$267 ¥42.1K

68.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 ¥283.5K

$862 ¥136.1K

108.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 ¥127.0K

$605 ¥95.5K

33.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,778 ¥911.9K

$2,474 ¥390.5K

133.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,066 ¥641.7K

$1,772 ¥279.6K

129.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 ¥421.3K

$1,597 ¥252.0K

67.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

1.6

65.00%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yokohama

$450 33.6%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 40.7% $183

Groceries & Markets

Yokohama

$290 21.6%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 11.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yokohama

$188 14%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 0.8% $1.5

Eating Out

Yokohama

$134 10%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 4.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Yokohama

$119 8.9%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 23.4% $28

Getting Around

Yokohama

$84 6.3%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 4% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Yokohama

$75 5.6%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 13.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Yokohama and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Yokohama vs $41 in Kawagoe. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $257, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

Same time as Yokohama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,777,491

350,745

💱 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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Yokohama vs Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,340 in Yokohama and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Yokohama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,097 in Yokohama versus $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $805 in Yokohama versus $320 in Kawagoe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kawagoe runs roughly 15% less than in Yokohama. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Yokohama and Kawagoe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kawagoe wins on affordability, Yokohama on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.