Cost of Living in Kobe, 🇯🇵 Japan - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 8, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $937 $562 $812 $375 $75

Utilities — $75 $125 $75 —

Internet & Mobile $37 $44 $50 $37 —

Groceries $62 $219 $562 $219 —

Transportation $31 $75 $156 $62 $9

Dining Out $749 $156 $94 $50 $22

Leisure Activities $312 $125 $1,186 $19 $12

Health Insurance $50 $125 $250 $94 $3

Visa & Legal Fees — $31 $31 — —

Total $2,178 $1,412 $3,266 $931 $121

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Coworking Space $124.89 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,561.09 per month

Coliving Space $936.65 per month

Apartment (1 bedroom) $468.33 per month

Food & Dining

Beer $3.75 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $6.24 per meal

Fast Food Combo $4.68 per meal

Apples $3.75 per kg

Bread $1.56 per loaf

Milk $1.37 per liter

Rice $3.12 per kg

Chicken Fillets $6.24 per kg

Beef $12.49 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $12.49 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $49.95 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.75 per bottle

Coffee $2.81 per cup

Transportation

Taxi Start $4.18 per trip

Taxi per km $2.62 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $74.93 per month

Gasoline $1.12 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $15.61 per trip

Scooter Rental $37.47 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $24.98 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $31.22 per month

Gym Membership $49.95 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $18.73 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $24.98 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $11.86 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $43.71 per pair

Summer Dress $31.22 per dress

Running Shoes $62.44 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $24.98 per visit

Laundry $2.50 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $43.71 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $9.37 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 8, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 160.145 JPY

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Kobe cost of living