City comparison
Cost of living in Rome vs Tokyo
One person needs about €1,777 a month in Rome and €1,794 in Tokyo, rent included — Rome is 1% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Tokyo the way you live in Rome on €3,000, you need
€3,029/ month net
1% more than today (+€29)
- Rome today
- Basket €1,777 · left over €1,223 (41%)
- Tokyo at the matched salary
- Basket €1,794 · left over €1,235 (41%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 195% over in Tokyo (strong) vs 129% in Rome. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇮🇹 Rome
Cheap transport and cheap coffee; bureaucracy and low local wages are the trade-off.
Monthly budget: €1,777
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Astonishing value for a mega-city: cheap food, cheap transport, tiny apartments.
Monthly budget: €1,794
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Rome or Tokyo?
On salary, Tokyo pays more for tech roles (€3,500 versus €2,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €1,706 in Tokyo at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,150 in Rome against €1,150 in Tokyo. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Rome at 72 and Tokyo at 72 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.