Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Kobe

For one person, living costs are similar in Yokohama and in Kobe: $1,340 and $1,392 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
Learn more

Yokohama Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
Learn more

Kobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yokohama and in Kobe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Yokohama versus $1,392 in Kobe.

Yokohama $1,340
Kobe $1,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Yokohama versus $2,067 in Kobe.

Yokohama $2,054
Kobe $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Yokohama versus $2,742 in Kobe.

Yokohama $2,768
Kobe $2,742

Living in Yokohama costs roughly 4% less than in Kobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yokohama is 2% below, Kobe is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,019

$7.70 ¥1,217

-16.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 ¥6,433

$31.86 ¥5,034

27.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥820

$4.91 ¥776

5.70%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥539

$2.37 ¥375

43.88%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$1.19 ¥188

-10.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥116

$0.57 ¥90.1

29.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥410

$2.12 ¥335

22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$2.30 ¥363

34.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.57 ¥248

-7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.34 ¥211

30.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥567

$4.17 ¥658

-13.91%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.04 ¥322

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ¥1,621

$12.61 ¥1,992

-18.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$6.78 ¥1,071

-9.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 ¥2,316

$17.06 ¥2,696

-14.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 ¥876

$7.70 ¥1,217

-28.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ¥437

$3.06 ¥484

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ¥468

$4.97 ¥785

-40.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥648

$7.71 ¥1,218

-46.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$3.84 ¥606

-34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$3.45 ¥545

-25.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.13 ¥179

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.94 ¥148

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.48 ¥549

12.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$8.05 ¥1,271

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.96 ¥310

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥331

$1.45 ¥230

44.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.45 ¥229

-5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,862

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.11 ¥492

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥421

$3.24 ¥512

-17.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.61 ¥3,256

$26.72 ¥4,221

-22.87%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

8.51%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

4.34%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$148 ¥23.3K

-11.81%

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

$24.74 ¥3,909

$23.26 ¥3,674

6.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,159

$31.25 ¥4,936

4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.93 ¥7,730

$46.90 ¥7,410

4.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 ¥1,861

$11.83 ¥1,869

-0.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 ¥2,068

$12.86 ¥2,032

1.79%

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

$805 ¥127.2K

$321 ¥50.6K

151.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$6,141 ¥970.2K

143.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ¥9,739

$50.6 ¥7,995

21.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 ¥5,960

$25.01 ¥3,952

50.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 ¥9,893

$45.98 ¥7,265

36.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$65.6 ¥10.4K

55.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 ¥173.2K

$691 ¥109.1K

58.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥71.0K

$463 ¥73.1K

-2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 ¥283.8K

$1,100 ¥173.8K

63.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 ¥127.1K

$737 ¥116.4K

9.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,778 ¥912.8K

$4,325 ¥683.3K

33.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,066 ¥642.3K

$2,894 ¥457.2K

40.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 ¥421.7K

$1,975 ¥312.0K

35.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

2.02

30.69%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yokohama

$450 33.6%

Kobe

$463 33.3% 2.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

Yokohama

$290 21.6%

Kobe

$355 25.5% 22.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yokohama

$188 14%

Kobe

$202 14.5% 7.8% $15

Eating Out

Yokohama

$134 10%

Kobe

$127 9.1% 5.5% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Yokohama

$119 8.9%

Kobe

$84 6.1% 29% $34

Getting Around

Yokohama

$84 6.3%

Kobe

$88 6.3% 3.8% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Yokohama

$75 5.6%

Kobe

$73 5.2% 3.3% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Yokohama and $691 in Kobe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41 in Yokohama vs $32 in Kobe. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $355, with Yokohama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🇯🇵 Kobe

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

Same time as Yokohama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,777,491

1,537,272

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yokohama Kobe 410 km

From you

Yokohama
Kobe

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

Yokohama vs Kobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yokohama wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kobe. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Yokohama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% 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 $691 in Kobe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $805 in Yokohama versus $321 in Kobe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kobe – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Yokohama. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Yokohama 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 Kobe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.