Budget · Tokyo · Japan
Tokyo on a budget
What a trip to Tokyo really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wiiii, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Tokyo is moderately priced for most international visitors. Budget roughly $60–$110 per person per day on a tight budget, $150–$280 mid-range and $400–$1,000 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–February.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $60–$110 a day
- Mid-range
- $150–$280 a day
- Luxury
- $400–$1,000 a day
- Local currency
- JPY
- Free sights
- 11
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $60–$110 | $180–$330 | $300–$550 | $420–$770 |
| Mid-range | $150–$280 | $450–$840 | $750–$1,400 | $1,050–$1,960 |
| Luxury | $400–$1,000 | $1,200–$3,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | $2,800–$7,000 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Tokyo, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Subway or JR ride in central Tokyo | about ¥180–¥330 |
| Bowl of ramen | about ¥900–¥1,500 |
| Convenience-store onigiri | about ¥150–¥250 |
| Conveyor-belt sushi plate | about ¥120–¥400 |
| Coffee in a café | about ¥400–¥700 |
| Izakaya meal with drinks | about ¥3,000–¥5,000 |
| Shibuya Sky or Skytree ticket | about ¥2,000–¥3,500 |
| Night in a capsule hotel | about ¥4,000–¥8,000 |
Money-saving tips
- Lunch sets (teishoku) cost far less than the same dishes at dinner.
- Convenience stores and department-store food halls sell excellent ready meals, and food halls discount many items near closing time.
- The free observatories of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building rival the paid decks.
- Shrines, temples, parks and districts such as Asakusa, Harajuku and Akihabara cost nothing to explore.
- A Tokyo Subway Ticket pays off if you take four or more subway rides a day.
- Hotels in Asakusa, Ueno and Ikebukuro are usually cheaper than in Shibuya, Ginza or Roppongi.
- Avoid cherry blossom season, Golden Week and the New Year holidays if you want lower hotel prices.
Free things to do
- Senso-ji Temple — Tokyo's oldest temple, founded according to tradition in 628, is approached through the Kaminarimon gate with its giant red lantern and along Nakamise-dori, a 250-metre street of snack and souvenir stalls.
- Meiji Jingu Shrine — Dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, this Shinto shrine stands in a forest of around 100,000 trees donated from across Japan and planted in the 1910s.
- Shibuya Crossing — When the lights change at Shibuya's scramble crossing, pedestrians pour across from every direction at once, in their thousands at busy times.
- Tsukiji Outer Market — The wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the outer market's hundreds of shops and stalls still sell knives, tea, dried goods and street food: tamagoyaki omelette on a stick, grilled scallops and bowls of fresh sashimi on rice for breakfast.
- Ueno Park — Ueno Park gathers three national museums, a concert hall and Ueno Zoo, Japan's oldest zoo, around Shinobazu Pond, where you can hire pedal boats among the lotus leaves.
- Imperial Palace East Gardens — The East Gardens occupy the site of the inner citadel of Edo Castle, the shoguns' fortress.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for budget, culture, families and solo travellers
Asakusa
Senso-ji temple, old-Tokyo streets and views of the Skytree
$$ · Best for budget, culture and families
Ueno
Museums, a big park and a busy market street
Eating well for less
- Yakitori — Smoky alleys such as Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku and the bars under the railway arches at Yurakucho.
- Ningyo-yaki — Stalls along Nakamise-dori in Asakusa and shops in Ningyocho.
- Onigiri — 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart convenience stores, and specialist onigiri shops.
Getting around for less
Suica and PASMO
Rechargeable IC cards, also available in phone wallets, that work on trains, subways and buses and in convenience stores; visitors can buy a Welcome Suica valid for 28 days.
Tokyo Subway Ticket
A 24-, 48- or 72-hour pass for all Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines, sold to visitors; it does not cover JR lines such as the Yamanote.
Japan Rail Pass
The nationwide pass now mainly pays off on long multi-city trips with several shinkansen journeys; compare it with individual tickets before buying.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Tokyo cost?
About $750–$1,400 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $300–$550 on a tight budget.
+Is Tokyo expensive?
It is moderately priced for international visitors. Lunch sets (teishoku) cost far less than the same dishes at dinner.
+How much money do I need per day in Tokyo?
Roughly $60–$110 on a budget and $150–$280 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Tokyo?
Usually in January–February.