Japan vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1130
$2423
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2751
$5632
🏠 One person rent
$510
$1537
🏘️ Family rent
$843
$2579
🍽️ Food expenses
$388
$551
🚐 Transport expenses
$134
$175
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1977
$3400
💸 GDP per capita
$32476
$52637
😃 Human freedom index
8.73
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
84
81.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
71
🌐 English speaking %
15%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
100
😀 Quality of life
89
90
🏙️ Population
124M
69.2M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1130) is 53% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2423). Japan ranked 76th vs 11th for the United Kingdom in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.7 months in Japan compared to 1.4 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 18th and 14th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Japan vs United Kingdom infographic

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Prices in Japan vs the United Kingdom

We calculate prices for Japan and the United Kingdom as a population-weighted mean of 907 and 277 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Japan United Kingdom
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.32
$20.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$34.1
$83.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.95
$10
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.96
$7.07
 Cappuccino
$3.11
$4.72
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.09
$2.5
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$514
$1632
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$355
$1243
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1107
$2684
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$694
$2247
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$92.9
$175
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$143
$270
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$30.2
$40.8
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.8%
5.33%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4931
$9148
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2794
$5701
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.66
$3.5
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$59.9
$92.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.5
$23.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.11
$1.88
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.43
$1.62
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.42
$1.72
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.03
$2.26
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.06
$4.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.2
$10.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.28
$8.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.7
$14.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.71
$2.97
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.47
$1.66
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.68
$2.95
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.51
$3.29
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.62
$1.56
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.39
$1.63
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.6
$1.07
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.46
$2.95
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.31
$11.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.93
$2.91
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.66
$19.9
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.3
$6.08
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.65
$5.17
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.36
$2.87
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.63
$2.39
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$53.7
$48.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.1
$14.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$96.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.4
$14.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.2
$91.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$56.9
$101
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$336
$1767
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12869
$20243

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Japan vs the United Kingdom

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1698
14.3M
Yokohama
$1336
3.76M
Osaka
$1237
2.75M
Nagoya
$1189
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1354
1.54M
Sapporo
$1181
1.96M
Hiroshima
$883
1.2M
Kyoto
$1107
1.46M
Kobe
$1106
1.52M
Saitama
$1037
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1065
1.6M
Chiba
$1251
975K
Shizuoka
$1025
686K
Sakai
$1115
824K
Sagamihara
$1021
726K
Sendai
$1069
1.06M
Niigata
$1007
791K
Kitakyushu
$1078
935K
Funabashi
$1117
641K
Hachioji
$1286
576K
Kawaguchi
$1025
594K
Hamamatsu
$1016
788K
Kumamoto
$991
738K
Kagoshima
$1016
594K
Kashiwa
$1116
428K
Utsunomiya
$1052
518K
Machida
$1049
434K
Matsudo
$1024
498K
Ichikawa
$1041
496K
Nishinomiya
$1091
487K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3851
8.8M
Birmingham
$2137
1.14M
Glasgow
$2058
626K
Edinburgh
$2310
488K
Manchester
$2265
548K
Sheffield
$1890
518K
Bristol
$2450
472K
Leeds
$2067
536K
Liverpool
$1937
513K
Leicester
$1899
464K
Coventry
$2051
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1963
300K
Bolton
$2040
285K
Cardiff
$2105
361K
Bradford
$1746
293K
Nottingham
$1831
289K
Westminster
$2960
255K
Belfast
$1884
345K
Brighton and Hove
$2269
277K
Sunderland
$1602
277K
Derby
$1658
255K
Southampton
$2139
271K
Solihull
$1940
207K
Milton Keynes
$2330
264K
Kingston upon Hull
$1600
260K
Plymouth
$1884
268K
Aberdeen
$1769
201K
Northampton
$1901
246K
York
$1867
208K
Wolverhampton
$1775
251K