Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,340 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
Learn more

Yokohama Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
Learn more

Niigata Living Index

Jump to prices

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yokohama and in Niigata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Yokohama versus $728 in Niigata.

Yokohama $1,340
Niigata $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Yokohama versus $1,106 in Niigata.

Yokohama $2,054
Niigata $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Yokohama versus $1,485 in Niigata.

Yokohama $2,768
Niigata $1,485

Living in Yokohama is roughly 84% more expensive than in Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yokohama 2% lower, Niigata 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,017

$6.43 ¥1,014

0.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 ¥6,420

$17.74 ¥2,798

129.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥819

$5.02 ¥792

3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥538

$2.68 ¥422

27.24%

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

$1.06 ¥166

$1.10 ¥174

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥116

$0.78 ¥124

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥409

$2.53 ¥398

2.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$2.77 ¥438

11.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.22 ¥192

19.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$0.97 ¥152

80.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$2.49 ¥392

44.18%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.26 ¥356

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ¥1,617

$7.41 ¥1,169

38.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 ¥968

$6.74 ¥1,064

-8.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 ¥2,311

$16.47 ¥2,598

-10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 ¥874

$3.21 ¥506

72.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$1.31 ¥206

110.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ¥467

$2.55 ¥402

16.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥646

$2.23 ¥352

83.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$1.94 ¥306

29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$1.93 ¥305

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$0.92 ¥146

41.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.60 ¥94.5

28.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.84 ¥606

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥994

$4.31 ¥679

46.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.68 ¥265

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$1.86 ¥293

12.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.31 ¥207

4.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,843

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$2.63 ¥415

18.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥420

$3.23 ¥509

-17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.61 ¥3,250

$18.80 ¥2,965

9.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.05 ¥165

1.90%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$19.3K ¥3.0M

11.73%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

25.41%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$147 ¥23.1K

-11.04%

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

$24.74 ¥3,901

$23.08 ¥3,639

7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,149

$25.23 ¥3,979

29.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.93 ¥7,715

$51.4 ¥8,103

-4.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 ¥1,857

$6.27 ¥989

87.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 ¥2,064

$12.30 ¥1,939

6.42%

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

$805 ¥127.0K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

1144.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$18.3K ¥2.9M

-18.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ¥9,721

$31.68 ¥4,996

94.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 ¥5,948

$33.10 ¥5,220

13.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 ¥9,874

$38.84 ¥6,124

61.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

57.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 ¥172.9K

$351 ¥55.3K

212.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥70.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 ¥283.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 ¥126.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,778 ¥911.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,066 ¥641.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 ¥420.9K

$1,272 ¥200.6K

109.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

1.48

78.38%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yokohama

$450 33.6%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Yokohama

$290 21.6%

Niigata

$233 32% 19.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yokohama

$188 14%

Niigata

$195 26.8% 3.8% $7.1

Eating Out

Yokohama

$134 10%

Niigata

$124 17.1% 7.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Yokohama

$119 8.9%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 36.2% $43

Getting Around

Yokohama

$84 6.3%

Niigata

$24 * 3.3% 71.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Yokohama

$75 5.6%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 1.2% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Yokohama and $351 in Niigata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Yokohama vs $18 in Niigata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $233 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

Same time as Yokohama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,777,491

811,639

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yokohama Niigata 280 km

From you

Yokohama
Niigata

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 Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,340 in Yokohama and $728 in Niigata, so Niigata is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Yokohama is about 2.1 times higher, 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 $351 in Niigata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Yokohama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,340 per month in Yokohama versus $728 in Niigata – Niigata is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,340 in Yokohama, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Yokohama. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Niigata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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