✦ Compare
Berlin vs
Tokyo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Berlin, DE vs Tokyo, JP at a glance — Tokyo, JP is 2% cheaper than Berlin, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $1,400/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Tokyo, JP, you'd need
$73,737 / year
Tokyo, JP is 2% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Tokyo, JP vs Berlin, DE)
- Housing0%
- Food & groceries-3%
- Transport+6%
- Utilities-13%
- Healthcare-11%
- Goods & services0%
◎ How Berlin, DE and Tokyo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Berlin, DE | Tokyo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 110 | 108 |
| Housing | 122 | 122 |
| Food | 108 | 105 |
| Transport | 85 | 90 |
| Utilities | 132 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,000/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,800/mo | $2,800/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $11,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $910 | $926 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,716/mo✓ | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496✓ | $35,951✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2%✓ | 3.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | High | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 120 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 69 | 81 |
| Safety index | 60 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 45 |
| Internet speed | 120 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 92 |
| Public transport | 90 | 98 |
| Family-friendly | 68 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $40/mo |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +27 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 60 | 130 |
| Rainfall / year | 570 mm | 1,520 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Berlin vs Tokyo — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Berlin
Germany's creative and startup magnet — still the cheapest major Western-European capital, though rents are climbing fast.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 120 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 19°C · 60 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreuzberg · Mitte · Neukölln
Good to know before you move to Tokyo
Astonishingly safe, clean and well-connected for a megacity — and, thanks to a weak yen, cheaper than most Western capitals right now.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 27°C · 130 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Shibuya · Shinjuku · Setagaya
Plan your move to Berlin
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Tokyo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Berlin to Tokyo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Berlin to Tokyo, your cost of living will be roughly 2% cheaper. Tokyo’s cost-of-living index is 108 versus 110 for Berlin (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Berlin cheaper than Tokyo?
Tokyo is about 2% cheaper than Berlin overall — its cost-of-living index is 108 versus 110 for Berlin.
Which is more expensive, Berlin or Tokyo?
Berlin is more expensive than Tokyo. Its cost-of-living index is 110 vs 108 (US = 100) — about 2% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Berlin or Tokyo?
Rent is cheaper in Tokyo — about $1,300/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,400 in Berlin.
How much do you need to earn in Tokyo to live like in Berlin?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Berlin is worth about $73,737 in Tokyo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Berlin or Tokyo?
Germany has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Berlin
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.