Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kyoto vs. Japan Cost of Living Summary
Kyoto is 0.7% more expensive than Japan overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.3% more in Kyoto
- Groceries
-
pay 3.7% more in Kyoto
- Transportation
-
pay 4.7% more in Kyoto
- Housing
-
pay 9.9% less in Kyoto
- Childcare
-
pay 6.6% less in Kyoto
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.5% more in Kyoto
- Clothing
-
pay 3.9% less in Kyoto
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, and groceries in Kyoto are more expensive than in Japan. Expenses including housing, childcare, and clothing are lower in Kyoto.
Kyoto vs. Japan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kyoto instead of Japan, you would:
pay 10.3% more for restaurants
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.60
¥1,034
|
$10.02
¥1,569
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.10
¥798
|
$5.35
¥837
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.07
¥167
|
$0.92
¥145
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.76
¥119
|
$0.74
¥117
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.7% more for groceries
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.50
¥235
|
$1.70
¥267
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.07
¥793
|
$4.57
¥715
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.67
¥887
|
$6.67
¥1,045
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.08
¥325
|
$2.23
¥349
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.93
¥458
|
$3.09
¥484
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.14
¥335
|
$2.42
¥380
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.12
¥175
|
$1.11
¥174
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.69
¥265
|
$2.83
¥443
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.13
¥334
|
$1.72
¥269
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
¥191
|
$0.71
¥111
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
¥181
|
$1.01
¥158
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of groceries
pay 4.7% more for transportation
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.39
¥687
|
$4.43
¥694
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$59.14
¥9,260
|
$66.82
¥10,462
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,599.51
¥3,538,292
|
$22,332.63
¥3,496,508
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$25.32
¥3,965
|
$26.86
¥4,206
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of transportation
pay 9.9% less for housing
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$33.91
¥5,310
|
$32.58
¥5,100
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$543.18
¥85,043
|
$570.06
¥89,251
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$353.61
¥55,363
|
$318.25
¥49,827
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$118.72
¥18,587
|
$82.56
¥12,926
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of housing
pay 6.6% less for childcare
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$296.89
¥46,482
|
$434.36
¥68,005
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,159.48
¥2,060,314
|
$5,345.93
¥836,986
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of childcare
pay 6.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.60
¥408
|
$3.34
¥523
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.03
¥474
|
$3.20
¥501
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.89
¥608
|
$4.01
¥628
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.54
¥9,322
|
$55.73
¥8,726
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.46
¥1,951
|
$12.70
¥1,988
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.9% less for clothing
|
Japan
|
Kyoto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.79
¥7,013
|
$44.33
¥6,940
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.04
¥5,016
|
$30.91
¥4,839
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$57.37
¥8,982
|
$50.12
¥7,847
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$87.37
¥13,679
|
$88.54
¥13,863
|
|
Japan vs. Kyoto - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kyoto or Japan. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.