Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kyoto 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Kyoto is 13.1% lower than in Tokyo (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Kyoto is 21.2% lower than in Tokyo
Rent Prices in Kyoto are 41.2% lower than in Tokyo
Restaurant Prices in Kyoto are 2.9% lower than in Tokyo
Groceries Prices in Kyoto are 16.3% lower than in Tokyo
Local Purchasing Power in Kyoto is 1.3% lower than in Tokyo
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 1,200.00 ¥ 1,500.00 ¥      +25.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 6,750.00 ¥ 5,000.00 ¥      -25.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 800.00 ¥ 800.00 ¥      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 600.00 ¥ 500.00 ¥      -16.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 750.00 ¥ 950.00 ¥      +26.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 519.72 ¥ 500.00 ¥      -3.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 163.71 ¥ 155.00 ¥      -5.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 123.00 ¥ 108.33 ¥      -11.9 %
Markets
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 872.54 ¥ 1,045.31 ¥      +19.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 204.14 ¥ 228.80 ¥      +12.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 322.61 ¥ 204.76 ¥      -36.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 311.89 ¥ 329.65 ¥      +5.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 996.95 ¥ 619.91 ¥      -37.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 527.82 ¥ 498.95 ¥      -5.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 1,519.54 ¥ 1,013.02 ¥      -33.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 357.88 ¥ 362.87 ¥      +1.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 167.28 ¥ 162.16 ¥      -3.1 %
Oranges (1 lb) 393.36 ¥ 423.35 ¥      +7.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 386.97 ¥ 257.04 ¥      -33.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 199.35 ¥ 105.84 ¥      -46.9 %
Onion (1 lb) 202.25 ¥ 151.20 ¥      -25.2 %
Lettuce (1 head) 206.18 ¥ 183.33 ¥      -11.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 140.22 ¥ 142.00 ¥      +1.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 1,200.00 ¥ 1,200.00 ¥      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 316.91 ¥ 251.75 ¥      -20.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 433.53 ¥ 523.33 ¥      +20.7 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 600.00 ¥ 600.00 ¥      0.0 %
Transportation
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 200.00 ¥ 235.00 ¥      +17.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 9,500.00 ¥ 10,000.00 ¥      +5.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 500.00 ¥ 500.00 ¥      0.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 708.11 ¥ 708.11 ¥      0.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 3,789.47 ¥ 2,560.00 ¥      -32.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 673.56 ¥ 663.32 ¥      -1.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 3,342,000.00 ¥ 3,342,000.00 ¥      0.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 2,520,625.00 ¥ 2,450,000.00 ¥      -2.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 26,513.71 ¥ 16,156.25 ¥      -39.1 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 3,920.58 ¥ 3,810.00 ¥      -2.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 4,865.72 ¥ 4,875.00 ¥      +0.2 %
Sports And Leisure
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 10,075.86 ¥ 8,340.00 ¥      -17.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 2,817.94 ¥ 3,000.00 ¥      +6.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 1,900.00 ¥ 1,900.00 ¥      0.0 %
Childcare
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 74,865.46 ¥ 53,333.33 ¥      -28.8 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 2,242,954.55 ¥ 1,066,666.67 ¥      -52.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 7,750.00 ¥ 6,633.33 ¥      -14.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 5,155.28 ¥ 3,500.00 ¥      -32.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 9,593.31 ¥ 7,700.00 ¥      -19.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 13,107.83 ¥ 13,250.00 ¥      +1.1 %
Rent Per Month
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 173,846.15 ¥ 84,260.57 ¥      -51.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 91,100.89 ¥ 50,100.00 ¥      -45.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 406,304.32 ¥ 240,000.00 ¥      -40.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 192,449.14 ¥ 133,333.33 ¥      -30.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 134,879.09 ¥ 74,321.81 ¥      -44.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 71,289.72 ¥ 74,321.81 ¥      +4.3 %
Salaries And Financing
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 358,294.47 ¥ 278,750.00 ¥      -22.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 1.76 1.78      +1.0 %
Last update: April 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:22320