Is Japan expensive?
When are you going?
The month is enough, but watch the
holiday weeks.
For how long?
How many of you?
What kind of rooms?
And for meals?
Prices in Japan and in the UK, item by item
−35%
Prices in Japan are 35% lower than in the UK.
source
OECD, comparative price levels, July 2026, for household consumption. Japanese prices on this page are converted at ¥212 to £1, and each gap is worked out from the middle of the ranges. An empty cell means no reliable, up-to-date price exists for that item.
Accommodation
| Item | In Japan | In the UK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Budget hotel, per night
source
Per room, whole country. Japan: nine listed business hotel chains (Dormy Inn, Daiwa Roynet, Mitsui Garden and others), April 2025 to March 2026. UK: Premier Inn's average room rate across its 846 UK hotels, the largest budget chain, VAT included.
Japan: Tokyo Shoko Research, FY2025.UK: Whitbread, preliminary results FY26, year to 26 February 2026.
|
£68.2 ¥14,463 | £82 | −17% |
Budget hotel, Tokyo / London
source
Tokyo: October 2025, estimated from rates shown on booking sites, before tax. London: Premier Inn's average room rate for the quarter that includes October 2025.
Japan: Metro Engine, published by HotelBank, October 2025.UK: Whitbread, Q1 FY27 trading update, September to November 2025.
|
£72.4 ¥15,348 | £119 | −39% |
A night in a ryokan
source
Per person, dinner and breakfast included, starting prices at mid-range inns in Kinosaki and Hakone. Nothing in the UK works like a ryokan.
Japan: Tanuki Trip price checks, September 2026.
|
£85–165 ¥18,000–35,000 | · |
average and source
On average, 17% lower than in the UK for restaurants and hotels, counted together (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Food and drink
| Item | In Japan | In the UK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Lunch main course
source
Japan: the lunch set (teishoku), a main dish with rice, miso soup and sides, from ginger pork at ¥918 to breaded pork at ¥1,511, in Tokyo. UK: average price of a pub main course, from the prices the ONS collects for inflation.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.UK: ONS, shopping prices comparison tool, August 2026.
|
£4.3–7.1 ¥918–1,511 | £13.8 | −59% |
Big Mac
source
The same product, priced by the same newspaper in both countries.
Japan: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 2026.UK: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 2026.
|
£2.4 ¥500 | £5.5 | −57% |
Beer in a bar, per pint
source
Per British pint (568 ml). Tokyo: a 500 ml bottle in an izakaya, scaled up to a pint. UK: a pint of draught lager, average across the country.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.UK: ONS, shopping prices comparison tool, August 2026.
|
£3.5 ¥747 | £4.7 | −26% |
Coffee, served at the table
source
Tokyo: a coffee at a kissaten, the sit-down coffee shop. UK: the ONS 'restaurant coffee' average.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.UK: ONS, shopping prices comparison tool, August 2026.
|
£3 ¥637 | £3.4 | −13% |
Sushi meal, per person
source
From conveyor belt to restaurant. Low: what 3,000 regular kaitenzushi customers across Japan spend on average per person (Umios, February 2026). High: the average spend per person for dinner at a Japanese restaurant, sushi counters and kappo included, in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya (Recruit Hot Pepper, April 2025 to March 2026). No UK source publishes the average price of a sushi meal.
Japan: Umios (conveyor belt) and Recruit Hot Pepper (restaurant), 2025 and 2026.
|
£9.3–22.2 ¥1,980–4,706 | · | |
Ramen
source
One bowl, eaten in, in Tokyo. The ONS does not track this dish in the UK.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.
|
£2.9 ¥620 | · | |
Gyudon
source
A beef rice bowl, regular size, in Tokyo. The ONS does not track this dish in the UK.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.
|
£2.3 ¥489 | · |
average and source
On average, 17% lower than in the UK for restaurants and hotels, counted together (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Getting around
| Item | In Japan | In the UK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Single metro ride
source
Tokyo: the fare depends on distance, from ¥180 under 6 km to ¥330. London: a Zone 1 Tube ride by contactless, off-peak to peak.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.UK: Transport for London, fares from 1 March 2026.
|
£0.8–1.6 ¥180–330 | £3.0–3.1 | −61% |
Metro, one day
source
Tokyo: the one-day pass for Tokyo Metro and Toei lines. London: the contactless daily cap for Zones 1 and 2.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.UK: Transport for London, fares from 1 March 2026.
|
£5.2 ¥1,100 | £8.9 | −42% |
Metro, one month
source
Tokyo: the Tokyo Metro network only, without Toei, JR or buses. London: a monthly Travelcard for Zones 1 and 2, all TfL modes.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.UK: Transport for London, fares from 1 March 2026.
|
£83.4 ¥17,670 | £172 | −51% |
Taxi, 5 km ride
source
Worked out from the official tariffs, distance only, no waiting time or extras. Tokyo: ¥500 for the first kilometer, then ¥100 every 232 m. London: a black cab at the weekday rate, £4.13 a mile. Traffic adds to the London fare: TfL gives £12.60 to £20.20 for 2 miles.
Japan: Tokyo Taxi Association, fares from 20 April 2026.UK: Transport for London, fares from 25 April 2026.
|
£10.9 ¥2,300 | £12.8 | −15% |
Petrol, per liter
source
Weekly national averages, all taxes included. Japan: regular petrol. UK: unleaded.
Japan: Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (Japan), 14 September 2026.UK: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, week of 14 September 2026.
|
£0.8 ¥170 | £1.7 | −52% |
Shinkansen Tokyo to Kyoto
source
One way, reserved seat, bought online. UK intercity fares change with the date and ticket type, and no reference fare is published.
Japan: JR Central, smartEX, fares from April 2025.
|
£65.9 ¥13,970 | · |
average and source
On average, 24% lower than in the UK for transport (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Things to do
| Item | In Japan | In the UK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Cinema ticket, full price
source
Standard adult ticket, no card or discount. Tokyo: TOHO Cinemas (¥2,000, ¥2,200 in Shinjuku) and Aeon Cinema (¥2,000). Odeon and Cineworld only show their prices once you pick a showing, and their prices change with the day and time.
Japan: TOHO Cinemas, July 2026.
|
£9.4–10.4 ¥2,000–2,200 | · | |
Major national museum
source
Tokyo National Museum, permanent collection. In the UK, the national museums are free, with a charge for some exhibitions.
Japan: Tokyo National Museum, September 2026.UK: The National Gallery, September 2026.
|
£4.7 ¥1,000 | Free | |
Landmark
source
Osaka Castle keep and St Paul's Cathedral, standard adult ticket.
Japan: Osaka Castle, since April 2025.UK: St Paul's Cathedral, outside 25 June to 1 September 2026.
|
£5.7 ¥1,200 | £27 | −79% |
Observation deck
source
Tokyo Skytree, both decks, starting price online. London Eye, from the cheapest online price to the walk-up price.
Japan: Tokyo Skytree, September 2026.UK: London Eye, September 2026.
|
£14.2 ¥3,000 | £29–39 | −58% |
Theme park, one day
source
Tokyo Disney and Alton Towers, the price changes with the date: from the cheapest online price to the walk-up price in the UK.
Japan: Tokyo Disney Resort, September 2026 to January 2027.UK: Alton Towers Resort, 2026 season.
|
£42.0–58.5 ¥8,900–12,400 | £32–68 | 0% |
average and source
On average, 13% lower than in the UK for recreation and culture (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Common questions
Where the money actually goes
Here is the whole answer, in five prices. Food and city transport are cheap. The room is not. Two weeks buys thirteen of them at a rate that climbs with the season, while a bowl of noodles costs the same in April as in June.
| What it is | What it costs |
|---|---|
| A beef bowl, eaten in Tax included, at a chain counter. That is lunch. | ¥498 (about £2) source |
| Dinner at an izakaya, drinks included The evening version of the same meal, and the gap between the two lines is where your food budget is really set. | ¥3,000–5,000 (about £14–24) source |
| A day of subway rides in Tokyo One ticket, as many rides as you like. It went up from ¥900 (about £4) on March 14, 2026. | ¥1,100 (about £5) source |
| A business hotel night, for the room Compact, by a station, two people in it. | ¥8,000–20,000 (about £38–94) source |
| A ryokan night, per person, dinner and breakfast included Read this one as a room rate and you will be off by the number of people in the room. | ¥18,000–35,000 (about £85–165) source |
Which line matters most?
Rooms, once you have landed: the biggest line of a two-week trip, the only one on the ground that moves with your dates, and the one that makes up most of the total once you add the flight. They are also where the moment you book changes the price.
Should the Japan Rail Pass be in the budget?
Not as a matter of course. Since the price rise of October 1, 2023 it does not pay for itself on most standard routes, and our transport planner works out, on your real itinerary, whether a pass is worth it and which one it should be.
Are these amounts guaranteed?
No, and nobody can guarantee them. They give you a rough idea to decide with, not a quote.
Whether Japan is actually cheap takes apart what the weak yen does and does not change. The weeks to avoid move this total more than any other choice on the page.
End of step 2
Next stop: where flight prices stand.