Is $2,000 enough for a week in Tokyo?

For one person, yes, comfortably, once the flight is paid: a week of mid-range travel runs about $1,400 on the ground (roughly $195 a day for a business hotel, casual meals with a nice dinner or two, trains, and a paid sight a day). If $2,000 has to include the flight, travel on the budget tier and it is still doable.

Is $1,000 enough for a week in Tokyo?

On the budget tier, yes, if your flight is already paid: about $95 a day covers a hostel or capsule, ramen and convenience-store meals, trains on a Suica, and mostly free sights, which is around $665 for a week with room to spare. It will not also cover a trans-Pacific flight, which starts near $700.

How much does 5 days in Tokyo cost?

Per person and excluding flights, plan on about $475 on the budget tier, $975 mid-range, and $1,700 or more premium across five days. Add a round-trip flight of $700 to $1,400 from the US. Your hotel choice moves this total more than anything else.

How much does a hotel in Tokyo cost?

About $25 to $50 a night for a hostel or capsule, $60 to $130 for a clean business hotel, and $200 or more for a central 4-star. Your hotel is the single biggest piece of a daily Tokyo budget, so it is the easiest place to save: stay one stop off the busiest hubs, or in an old-town neighborhood like Asakusa or Ueno.

Are there free things to do in Tokyo?

Plenty. The shrines and temples (Meiji Jingu, Senso-ji), the big parks, and the famous neighborhoods all cost nothing, and the 202-metre observation deck at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is free, with Mt. Fuji visible on a clear day. You only pay for optional extras like teamLab or a paid view, so most of a day can be free.

No. Tipping is not customary or expected anywhere in Tokyo, including restaurants, taxis, and hotels, and leaving change can confuse staff. Good service is the standard and is already included, so the price you see is the price you pay, which makes daily budgeting simpler than in the US.

Do you need a Japan Rail Pass for Tokyo?

Not for a Tokyo-only trip. The Japan Rail Pass is built for long-distance bullet-train travel between cities and does not even cover Tokyo's subway, so it never pays off for getting around the city. Use a Suica or Welcome Suica IC card instead, and only consider the pass if you are taking several intercity shinkansen trips.

Is Tokyo more expensive than the rest of Japan?

Mostly just for hotels. Tokyo room rates run higher than Osaka, Kyoto, or smaller cities because urban real estate costs more, but day-to-day spending is similar nationwide: trains, convenience-store food, and a bowl of ramen cost about the same wherever you are in Japan. So Tokyo is pricier where you sleep, not in how you eat or get around.

What is the cheapest time to visit Tokyo?

Winter, from mid-January (after the New Year holiday) through February, is the cheapest overall, with the lowest airfares and hotel rates and thin crowds. The June rainy season brings cheap hotels and few tourists too, though flights are not always lower then. The priciest windows are cherry-blossom season (late March to early April), Golden Week, and the mid-August Obon holiday.

Is it cheap to get around Tokyo?

Yes. Tokyo's trains and subway are inexpensive and excellent: single rides are about $1.30 to $2.20, and a full day of sightseeing rarely tops $12. Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card, tap to ride the entire network, and top it up with cash as you go.

Tokyo city guide

Tokyo · what it costs

Is Tokyo Expensive?

Less than its reputation suggests. A careful traveler does Tokyo on about $100 a day, and a comfortable mid-range trip runs closer to $200, before flights. Here is exactly where the money goes, and where to save it.

Tokyo in brief

How much does a trip to Tokyo cost?: About $1,400 per person for a week of mid-range travel on the ground, plus a $700 to $1,400 flight from the US. Budget travelers spend nearer $100 a day; premium trips $300 or more.
Is $100 a day enough in Tokyo?: Yes, comfortably, before flights. Stay in a business hotel or hostel, eat at ramen shops and convenience stores, and ride the trains on a Suica. Daily life is cheap; the flight and hotel are the big numbers.
Is it expensive to eat in Tokyo?: No. A great bowl of ramen is $6 to $10 and a convenience-store meal is under $5. You only pay a lot if you choose to, at a sushi counter or a kaiseki dinner.

A day in Tokyo, three ways

Your daily Tokyo budget, three ways

Daily spend per person, before flights, at roughly 150 yen to the dollar. Budget travelers do Tokyo on about $95 a day, mid-range about $195, premium around $340. The bar shows where each dollar goes.

Per day, before flightsStayFoodTransitSights

Where the money goes

What a Tokyo trip costs, category by category

Two line items, your flight and your hotel, are most of a Tokyo trip's cost. Everything else, food, trains, and most of the sights, is cheaper than almost any major city.

A passenger airliner descending toward Tokyo at dusk.

Flights$700-1,400 round-tripYour biggest one-off

The flight is the single largest cost, so time it well

From the US, round-trip economy runs roughly $700 to $1,400, cheapest from the West Coast and on budget carriers, higher from the East Coast and in peak season. Winter and the June rainy stretch see the lowest fares; cherry-blossom season, Golden Week, and December cost the most.

Typical: $700-1,400 RT
Cheapest: Jan, Feb, June
Priciest: Late Mar-Apr

Spend less on the flight

Fly in the off-season
Airfares drop most in winter. Our season guide breaks down the cheapest months to visit Tokyo.
See the cheapest months

A modern Tokyo hotel room with floor-to-ceiling windows over the city at dusk.

Hotels & accommodation$25-300 / nightThe biggest daily cost

Your hotel is most of your daily spend, and the easiest lever

A hostel or capsule runs $25 to $50, a clean business hotel about $60 to $130, and a central 4-star $200 and up. Staying one stop off the busiest hubs, or in an old-town neighborhood, cuts the rate without costing you transit time.

Hostel/capsule: $25-50
Business hotel: $60-130
Central 4-star: $200+

Where to stay for less

Pick the right neighborhood
Asakusa, Ueno, and the east side run cheaper than Shinjuku or Ginza while staying on the loop. Our guide compares every base.
Compare neighborhoods
Stay in old-town Ueno
Value rooms with a direct Skyliner link to Narita, and a great park and market on your doorstep.
Explore Ueno

A lantern-lit izakaya alley lined with yakitori shops in Tokyo at night.

Food & cheap eats$20-80 / dayCheaper than you expect

Some of the world's best cheap eating

You can eat extremely well for very little: a bowl of ramen is $6 to $10, a convenience-store meal under $5, a hearty teishoku set lunch about $7. Budget $20 to $35 a day eating casually; you only spend more if you choose to.

Ramen: $6-10
Casual day: $20-35
Omakase sushi: $70+

Eat well for less

Convenience stores & depachika
7-Eleven, Lawson, and department-store food halls do genuinely good, cheap meals, the local lunch move.
Guide coming soon
Ramen, gyudon & teishoku
Counter shops and chains across the city fill you up for under $10. Our food guide ranks where to eat.
Best food in Tokyo

A subway train at a Tokyo station platform.

Getting around$6-12 / dayCheap & excellent

Fast, cheap trains for a few dollars a day

Single subway and JR hops are about $1.30 to $2.20, and a full day of sightseeing rarely tops $6 to $12. Tap a Suica or Welcome Suica IC card and skip the ticket math. Most visitors do NOT need a Japan Rail Pass for a Tokyo-only trip.

Single ride: $1.30-2.20
Full day: $6-12
Airport express: $15-35

Paper lanterns strung over a free summer street festival in Tokyo at night.

Sights & free things$0-36 / sightMostly free

The best of Tokyo is free, or close to it

Shrines, temples, parks, the famous neighborhoods, and even the observation deck at the Metropolitan Government Building cost nothing. You only pay for optional extras: a paid view ($15 to $25), teamLab ($24 to $36), a themed cafe. Pick one or two paid sights a day and the rest is free.

Shrines & parks: Free
Observation deck: $15-25
teamLab: $24-36

Free & cheap things to do

Senso-ji & old Asakusa
Tokyo's oldest temple, its lantern gate, and the market street that leads to it, all free to wander.
Explore Asakusa
Meiji Jingu & Harajuku
A vast free forest shrine, steps from the city's best street-watching and window-shopping.
Explore Harajuku
Shibuya Crossing
The world's busiest crossing is free; you only pay if you want the view from Shibuya Sky above it.
Explore Shibuya