Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Kyoto 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Kyoto is 13.5% lower than in Tokyo (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Kyoto is 21.3% lower than in Tokyo
Rent Prices in Kyoto are 40.7% lower than in Tokyo
Restaurant Prices in Kyoto are 7.7% lower than in Tokyo
Groceries Prices in Kyoto are 15.2% lower than in Tokyo
Local Purchasing Power in Kyoto is 5.8% 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 7,000.00 ¥ 5,000.00 ¥      -28.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 800.00 ¥ 800.00 ¥      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 600.00 ¥ 550.00 ¥      -8.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 700.00 ¥ 425.00 ¥      -39.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 517.77 ¥ 483.33 ¥      -6.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 165.58 ¥ 155.00 ¥      -6.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 119.36 ¥ 108.33 ¥      -9.2 %
Markets
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 872.54 ¥ 1,018.75 ¥      +16.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 204.14 ¥ 223.36 ¥      +9.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 325.13 ¥ 206.95 ¥      -36.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 316.33 ¥ 334.35 ¥      +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) 1,455.08 ¥ 1,013.02 ¥      -30.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 352.19 ¥ 362.87 ¥      +3.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 165.86 ¥ 162.16 ¥      -2.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 380.11 ¥ 423.35 ¥      +11.4 %
Tomato (1 lb) 386.97 ¥ 257.04 ¥      -33.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 199.63 ¥ 105.84 ¥      -47.0 %
Onion (1 lb) 203.66 ¥ 151.20 ¥      -25.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 206.18 ¥ 183.33 ¥      -11.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 139.38 ¥ 142.00 ¥      +1.9 %
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) 434.44 ¥ 523.33 ¥      +20.5 %
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) 8,750.00 ¥ 10,000.00 ¥      +14.3 %
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) 2,561,250.00 ¥ 2,450,000.00 ¥      -4.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 26,667.97 ¥ 16,156.25 ¥      -39.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 3,875.46 ¥ 3,810.00 ¥      -1.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 4,861.39 ¥ 4,500.00 ¥      -7.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 10,231.03 ¥ 8,340.00 ¥      -18.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 3,017.94 ¥ 3,000.00 ¥      -0.6 %
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 80,705.23 ¥ 53,333.33 ¥      -33.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 2,272,708.33 ¥ 1,066,666.67 ¥      -53.1 %
Clothing And Shoes
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 7,904.83 ¥ 6,633.33 ¥      -16.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 5,607.73 ¥ 3,500.00 ¥      -37.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 9,612.79 ¥ 7,700.00 ¥      -19.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 12,826.15 ¥ 13,250.00 ¥      +3.3 %
Rent Per Month
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 171,133.80 ¥ 85,642.69 ¥      -50.0 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 91,749.81 ¥ 50,100.00 ¥      -45.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 406,605.03 ¥ 240,000.00 ¥      -41.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 189,470.25 ¥ 133,333.33 ¥      -29.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 137,657.13 ¥ 74,321.81 ¥      -46.0 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 71,194.83 ¥ 74,321.81 ¥      +4.4 %
Salaries And Financing
Tokyo Edit Kyoto Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 376,091.66 ¥ 278,750.00 ¥      -25.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 1.76 1.78      +1.0 %
Last update: March 2025March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:22919