How much does a trip to Japan cost?
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 US, item by item
−40%
Prices in Japan are 40% lower than in the US.
source
OECD, comparative price levels, July 2026, for household consumption. Japanese prices on this page are converted at ¥157 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 US | 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. No US source publishes an economy hotel rate: the national figure ($160 in 2025) mixes every class, luxury included.
Japan: Tokyo Shoko Research, FY2025.
|
$92 ¥14,463 | · | |
Budget hotel, Tokyo / New York
source
Tokyo: October 2025, estimated from rates shown on booking sites, before tax. New York only publishes an all-class rate ($334 on average in 2025), which says nothing about budget hotels.
Japan: Metro Engine, published by HotelBank, October 2025.
|
$97.6 ¥15,348 | · | |
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 US works like a ryokan.
Japan: Tanuki Trip price checks, September 2026.
|
$115–223 ¥18,000–35,000 | · |
average and source
On average, 28% lower than in the US for restaurants and hotels, counted together (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Food and drink
| Item | In Japan | In the US | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Lunch set
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. No US source publishes the price of a sit-down lunch.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.
|
$5.8–9.6 ¥918–1,511 | · | |
Big Mac
source
The same product, priced by the same newspaper in both countries.
Japan: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 2026.US: The Economist, Big Mac index, July 2026.
|
$3.2 ¥500 | $6.2 | −49% |
Beer in a bar
source
Tokyo: a 500 ml bottle in an izakaya, tax included. US: the median price of a beer on restaurant and bar menus, whatever the size, before tax and tip. The sizes differ, so no gap is shown.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.US: Toast menu price monitor, August 2026.
|
$4.2 ¥658 | $6.6 | |
Coffee, served at the table
source
Tokyo: a coffee at a kissaten, the sit-down coffee shop, tax included. US: the median price of a regular hot coffee on restaurant menus, before tax and tip.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.US: Toast menu price monitor, August 2026.
|
$4.1 ¥637 | $3.8 | +7% |
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 US source publishes the average price of a sushi meal.
Japan: Umios (conveyor belt) and Recruit Hot Pepper (restaurant), 2025 and 2026.
|
$12.6–29.9 ¥1,980–4,706 | · | |
Ramen
source
One bowl, eaten in, in Tokyo. No US source publishes an average price for this dish.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.
|
$3.9 ¥620 | · | |
Gyudon
source
A beef rice bowl, regular size, in Tokyo. No US source publishes an average price for this dish.
Japan: Statistics Bureau of Japan, Tokyo retail prices, August 2026.
|
$3.1 ¥489 | · |
average and source
On average, 28% lower than in the US for restaurants and hotels, counted together (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Getting around
| Item | In Japan | In the US | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Single subway ride
source
Tokyo: the fare depends on distance, from ¥180 under 6 km to ¥330. New York: one flat fare, whatever the distance.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.US: MTA, September 2026.
|
$1.1–2.1 ¥180–330 | $3 | −46% |
Subway, one day
source
Tokyo: the one-day pass for Tokyo Metro and Toei lines. New York has no day pass: fares stop at $35 once you have paid 12 rides in 7 days.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.
|
$7 ¥1,100 | · | |
Subway, one month
source
Tokyo: the Tokyo Metro network only, without Toei, JR or buses. New York stopped selling its monthly pass with the MetroCard in January 2026: only the $35 weekly cap is left.
Japan: Tokyo Metro, September 2026.
|
$112 ¥17,670 | · | |
Taxi, 5 km ride
source
Worked out from the official rates, distance only, no waiting time or extras. Tokyo: ¥500 for the first kilometer, then ¥100 every 232 m. New York: $3 to start, then 70 cents per fifth of a mile. Surcharges add at least $1.50 in New York, plus the tip.
Japan: Tokyo Taxi Association, fares from 20 April 2026.US: NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, September 2026.
|
$14.6 ¥2,300 | $13.9 | +5% |
Gas, per liter
source
Weekly national averages, all taxes included. Japan: regular gas. US: regular, $4.32 a gallon, divided into liters.
Japan: Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (Japan), 14 September 2026.US: US Energy Information Administration, week of September 14, 2026.
|
$1.1 ¥170 | $1.1 | −5% |
Shinkansen Tokyo to Kyoto
source
One way, reserved seat, bought online. Amtrak fares change with the train and the booking date, and no reference fare is published.
Japan: JR Central, smartEX, fares from April 2025.
|
$88.9 ¥13,970 | · |
average and source
On average, 16% lower than in the US for transport (OECD, comparative price levels, 2024).
Things to do
| Item | In Japan | In the US | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
Movie 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). AMC and Regal only show their prices once you pick a showing, and their prices change with the day and time.
Japan: TOHO Cinemas, July 2026.
|
$12.7–14.0 ¥2,000–2,200 | · | |
Major museum
source
Tokyo National Museum, permanent collection. The Met in New York, adult general admission.
Japan: Tokyo National Museum, September 2026.US: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2026.
|
$6.4 ¥1,000 | $30 | −79% |
Landmark
source
Osaka Castle keep, and the Statue of Liberty: the ferry ticket with pedestal access, which is how you get in.
Japan: Osaka Castle, since April 2025.US: National Park Service, fees updated March 2, 2026.
|
$7.6 ¥1,200 | $26.3 | −71% |
Observation deck
source
Tokyo Skytree, both decks, and the Empire State Building's 86th floor deck: starting prices online on both sides.
Japan: Tokyo Skytree, September 2026.US: Empire State Building, September 2026.
|
$19.1 ¥3,000 | $46 | −59% |
average and source
On average, 22% lower than in the US 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 $3) 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 $19–32) source |
| A day of subway rides in Tokyo One ticket, as many rides as you like. It went up from ¥900 (about $6) on March 14, 2026. | ¥1,100 (about $7) source |
| A business hotel night, for the room Compact, by a station, two people in it. | ¥8,000–20,000 (about $51–127) 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 $115–223) 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.