Cost of living comparison
compared to
Japan vs. Kyoto Cost of Living Summary
Japan is 9.1% more expensive than Kyoto.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.4% less in Japan
- Groceries
-
pay 2.8% more in Japan
- Transportation
-
pay 4.2% less in Japan
- Housing
-
pay 13.6% more in Japan
- Childcare
-
pay 57.3% more in Japan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.1% less in Japan
- Clothing
-
pay 4.5% more in Japan
The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, and groceries in Japan are more expensive than in Kyoto. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Japan.
Japan vs. Kyoto Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Japan instead of Kyoto, you would:
pay 5.4% less for restaurants
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.02
¥1,557
|
$6.60
¥1,026
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.35
¥831
|
$5.10
¥792
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.92
¥144
|
$1.07
¥166
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
¥116
|
$0.76
¥118
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.8% more for groceries
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.70
¥264
|
$1.50
¥233
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.57
¥709
|
$5.07
¥787
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.67
¥1,037
|
$5.67
¥880
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
¥346
|
$2.08
¥323
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.09
¥480
|
$2.93
¥455
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.42
¥377
|
$2.14
¥332
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.11
¥173
|
$1.12
¥174
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.83
¥440
|
$1.69
¥263
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.72
¥267
|
$2.13
¥331
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
¥110
|
$1.22
¥189
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
¥157
|
$1.15
¥179
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of groceries
pay 4.2% less for transportation
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.43
¥689
|
$4.39
¥682
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$66.82
¥10,382
|
$59.14
¥9,189
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,332.63
¥3,469,597
|
$22,599.51
¥3,511,060
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$26.86
¥4,173
|
$25.32
¥3,934
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of transportation
pay 13.6% more for housing
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$32.58
¥5,061
|
$33.91
¥5,269
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$570.06
¥88,565
|
$543.18
¥84,389
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$318.25
¥49,443
|
$353.61
¥54,937
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$82.56
¥12,826
|
$118.72
¥18,444
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of housing
pay 57.3% more for childcare
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$434.36
¥67,482
|
$296.89
¥46,124
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,345.93
¥830,544
|
$13,159.48
¥2,044,457
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of childcare
pay 5.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.34
¥519
|
$2.60
¥405
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
¥497
|
$3.03
¥470
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.01
¥623
|
$3.89
¥604
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.73
¥8,658
|
$59.54
¥9,250
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.70
¥1,973
|
$12.46
¥1,936
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.5% more for clothing
|
Kyoto
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.33
¥6,887
|
$44.79
¥6,959
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.91
¥4,802
|
$32.04
¥4,978
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$50.12
¥7,786
|
$57.37
¥8,913
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$88.54
¥13,756
|
$87.37
¥13,574
|
|
Kyoto vs. Japan - 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 Japan or Kyoto. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.