All countries / City vs city / Paris vs Tokyo

Paris vs Tokyo

The short answer

Tokyo is the cheaper trip, by roughly 27% a day — $90–150 against $130–200 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Apr–May, Oct, so one trip can take in both.

Side by side

Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.

	🇫🇷 Paris	🇯🇵 Tokyo
Daily budgetmid-range, per person	$130–200	$90–150cheaper
Cheap meallocal staple	$7–12	$4–8cheaper
Mid-range hotelper night	$160–280	$100–200cheaper
Transit ridesingle trip	$2.70	$1.20–2.20cheaper
Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context	≈ $3,000	≈ $2,200

When to go

Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.

Paris

JFMAMJJASOND

Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct

Tokyo

JFMAMJJASOND

Mar–May, Oct–Nov

What you'd actually do

A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.

🇫🇷 Paris

Compact, walkable, and exactly as beautiful as advertised. The clichés are true; so are the pickpockets. Say bonjour first and the whole city softens.

Harry's New York Bar$$Nightlife
Bouillon Chartier$Restaurants
Moulin Rouge$$$Theater & shows
Little Red Door$$$Nightlife
Le Comptoir du Relais$$Restaurants

Full Paris guide →

🇯🇵 Tokyo

The world's biggest city, and somehow its most orderly. Cheaper than you expect, cleaner than you imagined, and impossible to see in one trip.

Golden Gai$$Nightlife
Tsukiji Outer Market$$Restaurants
Kabukiza Theatre$$Theater & shows
Bar High Five$$$Nightlife
Ichiran (Shibuya)$Restaurants

Full Tokyo guide →

Practicalities

	Paris	Tokyo
Language	French. English works in tourist areas — but open every interaction with 'Bonjour'.	Japanese. English signage is good in stations; spoken English is limited — translation apps work fine.
Currency	Euro (€). US$1 ≈ €0.92	Japanese yen (¥). US$1 ≈ ¥150
Time zone	CET (UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer)	JST (UTC+9), no daylight saving
Power	Type C/E plugs, 230V	Type A/B plugs, 100V (US plugs fit)
Tap water	Safe — ask for 'une carafe d'eau' (free) in restaurants	Safe to drink everywhere
Emergency	112 general · 17 police · 15 medical	110 police · 119 fire/ambulance