China vs Japan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China Japan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$679
$1097
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1883
$2818
🏠 One person rent
$287
$496
🏘️ Family rent
$532
$967
🍽️ Food expenses
$238
$376
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.6
$130
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$826
$2172
💸 GDP per capita
$12720
$33824
😃 Human freedom index
5.15
8.4
❤️ Life expectancy
78.2
84.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
42
73
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
15%
🎓 Higher education
91
98
😀 Quality of life
50
91
🏙️ Population
1.44B
125M

The average cost of living in China ($679) is 38% less expensive than in Japan ($1097). China ranked 138th vs 67th 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 2 months in Japan. Ranked 83rd and 14th 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
$3.65
$6.35
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.9
$35.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.05
$4.89
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.34
$3.02
 Cappuccino
$3.3
$3.07
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$1.04
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$334
$484
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$214
$337
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$653
$1107
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$416
$704
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.8
$97.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.6
$151
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.8
$32.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.73%
1.75%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5178
$4271
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2803
$2747
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$1.68
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.7
$59.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.1
$25.3
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.16
$1.1
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.87
$1.4
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.52
$1.51
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.04
$2.96
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.71
$2.08
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.2
$12.3
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.69
$6.18
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$16.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$4.31
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$2.24
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$4.32
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.22
$4.01
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.8
$2.4
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$2.21
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.4
$0.55
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.19
$1.42
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.5
$8.28
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.88
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.23
$3.73
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.83
$10.8
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.55
$3.75
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.45
$1.35
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.64
$1.63
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$38.3
$51.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.98
$11.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$31.1
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.51
$16.3
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.1
$41.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$75.9
$56.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$444
$362
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$16225
$11309

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
Beijing
$1065
21.9M
Shanghai
$1190
24.9M
Hong Kong
$2614
7.41M
Shenzhen
$939
17.5M
Chongqing
$712
32.1M
Guangzhou
$742
18.7M
Chengdu
$643
20.9M
Tianjin
$688
13.9M
Xi'an
$632
13M
Suzhou
$1020
12.7M
Hangzhou
$831
11.9M
Baoding
$466
11.5M
Wuhan
$646
12.3M
Wuxi
$687
7.46M
Foshan
$575
9.5M
Nanjing
$740
9.31M
Bijie
$606
6.9M
Dongguan
$589
10.5M
Hefei
$707
9.37M
Ganzhou
$812
8.97M
Changchun
$612
9.07M
Nantong
$651
7.73M
Qingdao
$653
10.1M
Jieyang
$716
6.09M
Changsha
$533
10M
Yantai
$749
7.1M
Zhengzhou
$506
12.6M
Guiyang
$564
5.99M
Ningbo
$677
9.4M
Kunming
$609
8.46M

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1556
14M
Yokohama
$1329
3.76M
Osaka
$1116
2.75M
Nagoya
$1196
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1101
1.54M
Kobe
$1076
1.52M
Sapporo
$1173
1.96M
Sendai
$1026
1.06M
Fukuoka
$1054
1.6M
Hiroshima
$954
1.2M
Saitama
$1063
1.33M
Kyoto
$1026
1.46M
Yokosuka
$1136
390K
Sakai
$1103
824K
Chiba
$1161
975K
Sagamihara
$1020
726K
Kitakyushu
$963
935K
Hachioji
$1117
576K
Kagoshima
$999
594K
Kumamoto
$886
738K
Kawaguchi
$1052
593K
Amagasaki
$1058
459K
Utsunomiya
$998
518K
Niigata
$1056
791K
Funabashi
$1224
641K
Kashiwa
$1136
428K
Hamamatsu
$1033
788K
Shizuoka
$980
686K
Himeji
$1132
528K
Kurashiki
$1004
475K