Cost of Living · TR vs JP
🇹🇷 Istanbul vs 🇯🇵 Tokyo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $745 in Türkiye vs $1,435 in Japan — 92.57% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Japan
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 23.08%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 24.04%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 24.07%
Closest to Türkiye prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +112.87%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +112.87%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +112.87%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Türkiye | Japan | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $457 | $972 (145,456 JPY) | +112.87% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $365 | $778 (116,364 JPY) | +112.87% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $835 | $1,777 (265,975 JPY) | +112.87% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.26 | $11.34 (1,697 JPY) | +81.15% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $26.10 | $47.25 (7,071 JPY) | +81.03% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.21 | $7.23 (1,082 JPY) | +71.73% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.51 | $0.79 (118 JPY) | +54.9% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.48 | $2.29 (343 JPY) | +54.73% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.58 | $2.43 (364 JPY) | +53.8% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.64 | $7.15 (1,070 JPY) | +54.09% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.86 | $2.86 (428 JPY) | +53.76% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.23 | $3.43 (513 JPY) | +53.81% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.57 | $8.57 (1,283 JPY) | +53.86% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.93 | $1.43 (214 JPY) | +53.76% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.09 | $3.78 (566 JPY) | +80.86% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.45 | $6.76 (1,012 JPY) | +24.04% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.74 | $3.15 (471 JPY) | +81.03% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.07 | $1.64 (245 JPY) | +53.27% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $24.90 | $42.71 (6,392 JPY) | +71.53% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.05 | $1.81 (271 JPY) | +72.38% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.39 | $2.52 (377 JPY) | +81.29% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.63 | $1.13 (169 JPY) | +79.37% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.65 | $0.80 (120 JPY) | +23.08% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $76.60 | $131 (19,665 JPY) | +71.54% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $26.81 | $45.99 (6,883 JPY) | +71.54% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $17.24 | $29.57 (4,425 JPY) | +71.52% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $17.40 | $31.50 (4,714 JPY) | +81.03% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.87 | $8.82 (1,320 JPY) | +81.11% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $10.44 | $18.90 (2,829 JPY) | +81.03% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $37.47 | $46.49 (6,958 JPY) | +24.07% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $61.31 | $76.08 (11,386 JPY) | +24.09% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $86.99 | $157 (23,570 JPY) | +81.04% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Japan than Türkiye?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,435 in Japan versus $745 in Türkiye — 92.57% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Japan?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.78 in Japan (≈ 565.71 JPY), versus about $2.09 in Türkiye.
- How much is rent in Japan compared to Türkiye?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $972/month in Japan versus $457/month in Türkiye (+112.87%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.