✦ Compare
Nagoya 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.
Nagoya, JP vs Tokyo, JP at a glance — Tokyo, JP is 17% more expensive than Nagoya, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,300/mo versus $750/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Tokyo, JP, you'd need
$87,729 / year
Tokyo, JP is 17% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Tokyo, JP vs Nagoya, JP)
- Housing+49%
- Food & groceries+9%
- Transport+13%
- Utilities+5%
- Healthcare0%
- Goods & services+3%
◎ How Nagoya, JP and Tokyo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Nagoya, JP | Tokyo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 92 | 108 |
| Housing | 82 | 122 |
| Food | 96 | 105 |
| Transport | 80 | 90 |
| Utilities | 110 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 103 | 106 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $750/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $540/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $2,800/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $11,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,083 | $926 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $50,183✓ | $50,183✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,951✓ | $35,951✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2%✓ | 3.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 20 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 77 | 81 |
| Safety index | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 85 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 45 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 76 | 92 |
| Public transport | 84 | 98 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $40/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +27 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 130 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,500 mm | 1,520 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Nagoya vs Tokyo — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Nagoya
Japan's industrial powerhouse (Toyota's home turf) and an underrated, spacious city between Tokyo and Osaka. It keeps Japan's safety, transit and reliability while running noticeably cheaper than either megacity.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sakae · Osu · Meieki · Kanayama
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 Nagoya
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Tokyo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Nagoya to Tokyo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Nagoya to Tokyo, your cost of living will be roughly 17% more expensive. Tokyo’s cost-of-living index is 108 versus 92 for Nagoya (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Nagoya cheaper than Tokyo?
Tokyo is about 17% more expensive than Nagoya overall — its cost-of-living index is 108 versus 92 for Nagoya.
Which is more expensive, Nagoya or Tokyo?
Tokyo is more expensive than Nagoya. Its cost-of-living index is 108 vs 92 (US = 100) — about 17% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Nagoya or Tokyo?
Rent is cheaper in Nagoya — about $750/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,300 in Tokyo.
How much do you need to earn in Tokyo to live like in Nagoya?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Nagoya is worth about $87,729 in Tokyo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Nagoya or Tokyo?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (45%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Nagoya
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.