Japan vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1160
$2292
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2959
$5537
🏠 One person rent
$528
$1425
🏘️ Family rent
$1024
$2546
🍽️ Food expenses
$394
$534
🚐 Transport expenses
$136
$168
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2197
$3442
💸 GDP per capita
$33834
$48867
😃 Human freedom index
8.4
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
84
82.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
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 ($1160) is 49% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2292). Japan ranked 65th vs 13th 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 16th 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
$6.89
$19.9
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.4
$80.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.23
$9.75
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.26
$6.53
 Cappuccino
$3.06
$4.42
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.07
$2.3
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$531
$1463
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$359
$1146
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1193
$2840
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$747
$2084
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$100
$176
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$270
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$34
$40.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.83%
5.65%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5404
$8199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3197
$5588
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.83
$3.27
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.6
$90.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$26.3
$20.6
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$1.94
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.49
$1.63
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.56
$1.63
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.15
$2.22
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$4.07
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$10.3
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.34
$8.85
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.8
$14.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.83
$2.95
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.36
$1.61
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.86
$2.93
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.55
$3.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$1.46
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.57
$1.5
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.98
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.48
$2.91
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.16
$11
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.97
$2.67
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.19
$18.2
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$6.04
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.78
$5.19
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.41
$2.83
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.69
$2.27
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57
$46.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$14
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$115
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.1
$14.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.4
$85.6
👟 Brand Sneakers
$60.2
$99.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$350
$1730
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11669
$19028

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
$1641
14.3M
Yokohama
$1385
3.76M
Osaka
$1212
2.75M
Nagoya
$1248
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1187
1.54M
Sapporo
$1268
1.96M
Kyoto
$1210
1.46M
Kobe
$1119
1.52M
Sendai
$1111
1.06M
Saitama
$1038
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1162
1.6M
Sakai
$1174
824K
Hiroshima
$1003
1.2M
Yokosuka
$1153
390K
Sagamihara
$1060
726K
Chiba
$1244
975K
Kitakyushu
$1044
935K
Kagoshima
$1092
594K
Hachioji
$1252
576K
Kumamoto
$970
738K
Wakayama
$1226
353K
Amagasaki
$1132
456K
Kawaguchi
$1056
594K
Utsunomiya
$1048
518K
Niigata
$1108
791K
Shizuoka
$991
686K
Hamamatsu
$1046
788K
Funabashi
$1145
641K
Himeji
$1212
528K
Kurashiki
$1103
475K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3427
8.8M
Birmingham
$2046
1.14M
Leeds
$1987
789K
Glasgow
$2013
626K
Edinburgh
$2246
488K
Manchester
$2137
548K
Sheffield
$1809
518K
Bristol
$2373
472K
Coventry
$2050
363K
Liverpool
$1889
513K
Leicester
$1898
464K
Cardiff
$2019
361K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1847
300K
Belfast
$1830
345K
Westminster
$3054
255K
Bradford
$1670
293K
Southampton
$2023
271K
Milton Keynes
$2384
264K
Bolton
$1852
285K
Nottingham
$1944
289K
Brighton and Hove
$3152
277K
Derby
$1817
255K
Aberdeen
$1701
201K
Solihull
$1827
207K
Norwich
$1926
196K
York
$1893
208K
Plymouth
$1779
268K
Luton
$2053
213K
Sunderland
$1571
277K
Northampton
$1755
246K