Japan vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1135
$2193
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2913
$5278
🏠 One person rent
$514
$1367
🏘️ Family rent
$995
$2434
🍽️ Food expenses
$390
$514
🚐 Transport expenses
$131
$161
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2115
$3203
💸 GDP per capita
$33767
$49464
😃 Human freedom index
8.73
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
84
82.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
71
🌐 English speaking %
15%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
100
😀 Quality of life
89
91
🏙️ Population
125M
67.3M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1135) is 48% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2193). Japan ranked 62nd 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 1.9 months in Japan compared to 1.5 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 15th and 13th 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
$6.54
$19.3
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.2
$77.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.2
$9.37
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.36
$6.34
 Cappuccino
$3.23
$4.27
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.11
$2.26
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$514
$1448
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$348
$1088
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1167
$2688
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$720
$1999
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$99.5
$168
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$258
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$33
$38.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.79%
5.53%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5067
$8674
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2977
$5433
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.68
$3.13
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$58.3
$84.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.6
$20.5
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$1.81
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.43
$1.5
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.47
$1.6
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.2
$2.11
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.09
$3.95
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$9.57
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.36
$8.47
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20.3
$13
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.7
$2.79
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.24
$1.58
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.98
$2.71
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.36
$3.23
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.5
$1.52
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.21
$1.46
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.61
$0.96
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.43
$2.74
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.72
$10.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.96
$2.61
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.08
$18.1
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$5.71
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.7
$4.97
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.38
$2.65
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.65
$2.22
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$54.8
$44.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.1
$13.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$92.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.5
$13.7
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.4
$84
👟 Brand Sneakers
$57.1
$96.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$369
$1629
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12687
$19170

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

$349

$907

$6.64K

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
$1607
14.3M
Yokohama
$1335
3.76M
Osaka
$1242
2.75M
Nagoya
$1202
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1249
1.54M
Hiroshima
$878
1.2M
Sapporo
$1204
1.96M
Kyoto
$1148
1.46M
Kobe
$1107
1.52M
Chiba
$1267
975K
Saitama
$1196
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1057
1.6M
Sendai
$1055
1.06M
Sakai
$1146
824K
Yokosuka
$1125
390K
Sagamihara
$1042
726K
Shizuoka
$932
686K
Kitakyushu
$1003
935K
Kagoshima
$1158
594K
Hachioji
$1305
576K
Wakayama
$1189
353K
Kumamoto
$894
738K
Amagasaki
$1111
456K
Utsunomiya
$1009
518K
Kawaguchi
$1081
594K
Funabashi
$1231
641K
Niigata
$1059
791K
Hamamatsu
$1045
788K
Himeji
$1181
528K
Kurashiki
$1078
475K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3296
8.8M
Birmingham
$1951
1.14M
Leeds
$1943
789K
Glasgow
$2011
626K
Edinburgh
$2140
488K
Manchester
$2071
548K
Bristol
$2321
472K
Liverpool
$1774
513K
Sheffield
$1764
518K
Coventry
$1903
363K
Cardiff
$1940
361K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1726
300K
Leicester
$1805
464K
Belfast
$1755
345K
Southampton
$2039
271K
Bradford
$1598
293K
Nottingham
$1820
289K
Westminster
$2868
255K
Milton Keynes
$2158
264K
Bolton
$1806
285K
Brighton and Hove
$2139
277K
Derby
$1727
255K
Aberdeen
$1614
201K
Solihull
$1740
207K
Kingston upon Hull
$1466
260K
Plymouth
$1710
268K
York
$1727
208K
Luton
$1885
213K
Sunderland
$1510
277K
Swindon
$1924
222K