How are these daily numbers calculated?

Each daily figure is the sum of five categories — accommodation, food, local transport, activities, and miscellaneous — modelled per city for budget, mid-range and luxury styles, then adjusted by that city's own season coefficient. Season adjustments are city-specific: each city belongs to one of twelve demand profiles with its own low, shoulder and peak months and coefficients, so low spans 0.62×–0.92× and peak 1.13×–1.72× across the index. Flights and visas are excluded so the per-day number stays comparable across cities.

Why is shoulder season the default for comparisons?

Shoulder is the one season every demand profile shares at 1.00×, which makes it the neutral baseline for comparing two cities. Switching both cities to low or peak moves each one by its own profile coefficient (low 0.62×–0.92×, peak 1.13×–1.72×), so absolute totals shift more than the ranking between two destinations usually does.

Do these numbers include flights?

No. Flight prices vary by an order of magnitude depending on origin city and booking window, so they're treated as a fixed trip-level cost — not a daily one. Add your flight estimate on top of the daily total multiplied by trip length.

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Two cities,
side by side.

City comparisons only work when you compare like-for-like. Both columns here use the same five line items — accommodation, food, local transport, activities and miscellaneous — and default to mid-range, shoulder season, which is the most honest baseline for a typical traveller.

Accommodation alone drives 50–60% of the gap between most city pairs. Food is the second largest swing, then activities. Transport and miscellaneous rarely move the overall total by more than 10%. If two cities look surprisingly close on this page, it's almost always because their accommodation markets are at the same price point.

City A

Japan

$408

per person · per day · mid · shoulder

↑ $257 vs Bangkok

City B

Thailand

$151

per person · per day · mid · shoulder

↓ $257 vs Tokyo

budgetshoulder season · per day

Tokyo

$177

Bangkok

$65

midshoulder season · per day

Tokyo

$408

Bangkok

$151

luxuryshoulder season · per day

Tokyo

$1141

Bangkok

$421

Bangkok is about $257 cheaper per day than Tokyo at mid-range in shoulder season — roughly 63% lower. Across a seven-day trip that's about $1799 back in your pocket per person before flights.

Most of the gap comes from accommodation: Tokyo's nightly rates run materially above Bangkok's. Food and activities account for the rest. See the full breakdowns on the Tokyo and Bangkok pages.

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FAQ

Compare tool · how it works

How are these daily numbers calculated?: Each daily figure is the sum of five categories — accommodation, food, local transport, activities, and miscellaneous — modelled per city for budget, mid-range and luxury styles, then adjusted by that city's own season coefficient. Season adjustments are city-specific: each city belongs to one of twelve demand profiles with its own low, shoulder and peak months and coefficients, so low spans 0.62×–0.92× and peak 1.13×–1.72× across the index. Flights and visas are excluded so the per-day number stays comparable across cities.
Why is shoulder season the default for comparisons?: Shoulder is the one season every demand profile shares at 1.00×, which makes it the neutral baseline for comparing two cities. Switching both cities to low or peak moves each one by its own profile coefficient (low 0.62×–0.92×, peak 1.13×–1.72×), so absolute totals shift more than the ranking between two destinations usually does.
Do these numbers include flights?: No. Flight prices vary by an order of magnitude depending on origin city and booking window, so they're treated as a fixed trip-level cost — not a daily one. Add your flight estimate on top of the daily total multiplied by trip length.