Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,111 a month against $1,340 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index

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Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,340

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yokohama and in Tsukuba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Yokohama versus $1,111 in Tsukuba.

Yokohama $1,340
Tsukuba $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Yokohama versus $1,773 in Tsukuba.

Yokohama $2,054
Tsukuba $1,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Yokohama versus $2,434 in Tsukuba.

Yokohama $2,768
Tsukuba $2,434

Living in Yokohama is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yokohama 2% lower, Tsukuba 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,017

$6.49 ¥1,024

-0.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 ¥6,420

$33.75 ¥5,322

20.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 ¥819

$5.13 ¥809

1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥538

$2.63 ¥415

29.66%

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

$1.06 ¥166

$0.96 ¥151

10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥116

$0.80 ¥126

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥409

$2.11 ¥333

23.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$3.13 ¥493

-1.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥277

$1.67 ¥264

4.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.59 ¥566

$3.25 ¥512

10.46%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.09 ¥329

-2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ¥1,617

$10.46 ¥1,649

-1.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 ¥968

$6.03 ¥950

1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.66 ¥2,311

$14.40 ¥2,271

1.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.54 ¥874

$5.63 ¥888

-1.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.75 ¥434

0.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ¥467

$2.83 ¥446

4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥646

$4.23 ¥666

-3.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$2.52 ¥397

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$2.67 ¥421

-3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$0.82 ¥129

58.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.76 ¥119

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.71 ¥585

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥994

$6.52 ¥1,028

-3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.74 ¥274

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$2.08 ¥328

0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.43 ¥225

-4.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,843

$55.8 ¥8,797

11.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.20 ¥504

-2.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥420

$2.76 ¥436

-3.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.61 ¥3,250

$20.77 ¥3,275

-0.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.11 ¥174

-3.60%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

-2.83%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

2.91%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$131 ¥20.7K

-0.86%

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

$24.74 ¥3,901

$24.64 ¥3,885

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,149

$31.74 ¥5,006

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.93 ¥7,715

$56.0 ¥8,836

-12.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.78 ¥1,857

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 ¥2,064

$13.27 ¥2,093

-1.36%

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

$805 ¥127.0K

$96.3 ¥15.2K

735.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-0.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ¥9,721

$47.58 ¥7,502

29.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.72 ¥5,948

$36.56 ¥5,765

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 ¥9,874

$38.69 ¥6,101

61.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$41.36 ¥6,522

146.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 ¥172.9K

$465 ¥73.4K

135.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥70.9K

$280 ¥44.2K

60.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,796 ¥283.3K

$1,086 ¥171.3K

65.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$805 ¥126.9K

$645 ¥101.7K

24.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,778 ¥911.0K

$4,791 ¥755.5K

20.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,066 ¥641.1K

$2,181 ¥343.9K

86.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 ¥420.9K

$1,458 ¥229.9K

83.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

32.00%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tsukuba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yokohama

$450 33.6%

Tsukuba

$280 25.3% 37.6% $169

Groceries & Markets

Yokohama

$290 21.6%

Tsukuba

$285 25.6% 1.7% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yokohama

$188 14%

Tsukuba

$188 16.9% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Yokohama

$134 10%

Tsukuba

$123 11.1% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Yokohama

$119 8.9%

Tsukuba

$74 6.7% 37.8% $45

Getting Around

Yokohama

$84 6.3%

Tsukuba

$79 7.1% 6.9% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Yokohama

$75 5.6%

Tsukuba

$83 7.4% 9.9% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,097 in Yokohama and $465 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays 83% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Yokohama vs $34 in Tsukuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $285 per month, with Tsukuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

Same time as Yokohama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,777,491

230,398

💱 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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,340 in Yokohama and $1,111 in Tsukuba, so Tsukuba is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 83% 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 $465 in Tsukuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tsukuba runs roughly 11% less than in Yokohama. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,340 per month in Yokohama versus $1,111 in Tsukuba – Tsukuba is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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