China vs Japan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Japan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$639
$1130
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1733
$2751
🏠 One person rent
$264
$510
🏘️ Family rent
$443
$843
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$388
🚐 Transport expenses
$69.6
$134
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$755
$1977
💸 GDP per capita
$13303
$32476
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
8.73
❤️ Life expectancy
78
84
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
71
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
15%
🎓 Higher education
90
98
😀 Quality of life
51
89
🏙️ Population
1.41B
124M

The average cost of living in China ($639) is 43% less expensive than in Japan ($1130). China ranked 158th vs 76th for Japan in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.2 months in China compared to 1.7 months in Japan. Ranked 84th and 18th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs Japan infographic

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Prices in China vs Japan

We calculate prices for China and Japan as a population-weighted mean of 544 and 907 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

China Japan
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.15
$6.32
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.8
$34.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5
$4.95
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.22
$2.96
 Cappuccino
$2.86
$3.11
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.49
$1.09
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$298
$514
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$198
$355
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$646
$1107
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$408
$694
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$34.4
$92.9
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$52.8
$143
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$11.9
$30.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.84%
1.8%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4169
$4931
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2400
$2794
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$1.66
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20
$59.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.03
$25.5
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$1.11
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.78
$1.43
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.63
$1.42
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.97
$4.03
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.58
$2.06
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$11.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.31
$6.28
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.6
$18.7
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$4.71
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$2.47
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.42
$3.68
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.18
$4.51
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.74
$2.62
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.9
$2.39
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.37
$0.6
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.21
$1.46
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.4
$8.31
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.93
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.35
$3.66
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.94
$10.3
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.59
$3.65
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.46
$1.36
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.66
$1.63
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.2
$53.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6
$12.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.2
$33.3
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.55
$16.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.6
$45.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$71.4
$56.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$386
$336
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15860
$12869

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs Japan

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Chongqing
$561
32.1M
Shanghai
$1128
24.9M
Chengdu
$635
20.9M
Shenzhen
$878
17.5M
Guangzhou
$758
18.7M
Beijing
$1029
21.9M
Suzhou
$771
12.7M
Tianjin
$646
13.9M
Wuhan
$639
12.3M
Baoding
$456
11.5M
Xi'an
$580
13M
Hangzhou
$826
11.9M
Nanjing
$753
9.31M
Hong Kong
$2718
7.41M
Qingdao
$626
10.1M
Changsha
$592
10M
Hefei
$643
9.37M
Harbin
$655
10M
Wuxi
$679
7.46M
Xuzhou
$499
9.08M
Dongguan
$662
10.5M
Quanzhou
$621
8.78M
Changchun
$557
9.07M
Linyi
$546
11M
Wenzhou
$753
9.57M
Nantong
$547
7.73M
Yantai
$697
7.1M
Jinan
$573
9.2M
Zhengzhou
$504
12.6M
Foshan
$589
9.5M

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1698
14.3M
Yokohama
$1336
3.76M
Osaka
$1237
2.75M
Nagoya
$1189
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1354
1.54M
Sapporo
$1181
1.96M
Hiroshima
$883
1.2M
Kyoto
$1107
1.46M
Kobe
$1106
1.52M
Saitama
$1037
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1065
1.6M
Chiba
$1251
975K
Shizuoka
$1025
686K
Sakai
$1115
824K
Sagamihara
$1021
726K
Sendai
$1069
1.06M
Niigata
$1007
791K
Kitakyushu
$1078
935K
Funabashi
$1117
641K
Hachioji
$1286
576K
Kawaguchi
$1025
594K
Hamamatsu
$1016
788K
Kumamoto
$991
738K
Kagoshima
$1016
594K
Kashiwa
$1116
428K
Utsunomiya
$1052
518K
Machida
$1049
434K
Matsudo
$1024
498K
Ichikawa
$1041
496K
Nishinomiya
$1091
487K