Cost of Living Guide

City comparison

Cost of living in Vienna vs Tokyo

One person needs about €1,856 a month in Vienna and €1,794 in Tokyo, rent included — Tokyo is 3% cheaper overall.

🇦🇹
Vienna
Austria · 2.0M pop
vs
🇯🇵
Tokyo
Japan · 13.9M pop
Monthly rent (1BR)
€1,150€1,150
0% pricier
Groceries / mo
€330€330
0% pricier
Eating out (meal)
€15€8
47% cheaper
Internet (100mbps)
€35€30
14% cheaper
Avg salary (tech)
€4,000€3,500
13% lower
Coworking / mo
€230€250
9% pricier
ViennaTokyo
Rent€1,150€1,150
Groceries€330€330
Transport€51€80
Utilities€170€140

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 Vienna on €3,000, you need

€2,900/ month net

3% less than today (-€100)

Vienna today
Basket €1,856 · left over €1,144 (38%)
Tokyo at the matched salary
Basket €1,794 · left over €1,106 (38%)

Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 195% over in Tokyo (strong) vs 216% in Vienna. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this

🇦🇹 Vienna

Huge subsidised housing stock keeps rents unusually sane for a rich capital.

Monthly budget: €1,856

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 Vienna or Tokyo?

On salary, Vienna pays more for tech roles (€4,000 versus €3,500 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,144 in Vienna at the top end.

Rent drives most of the gap: €1,150 in Vienna against €1,150 in Tokyo. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.

For remote workers, the nomad index scores Vienna at 75 and Tokyo at 72 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.

More Vienna comparisons

More Tokyo comparisons