Germany vs Japan - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany Japan
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1671
$1160
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4073
$2959
🏠 One person rent
$885
$528
🏘️ Family rent
$1657
$1024
🍽️ Food expenses
$526
$394
🚐 Transport expenses
$118
$136
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3122
$2197
💸 GDP per capita
$52746
$33834
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
8.4
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
84
👮 Corruption perceptions index
78
73
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
15%
🎓 Higher education
94
98
😀 Quality of life
92
89
🏙️ Population
84.4M
125M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1671) is 44% more expensive than in Japan ($1160). Germany ranked 24th vs 65th 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 1.9 months in Germany compared to 1.9 months in Japan. Ranked 12th and 16th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Germany vs Japan infographic

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Prices in Germany vs Japan

We calculate prices for Germany and Japan as a population-weighted mean of 662 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.

Germany Japan
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$14.4
$6.89
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$68.2
$36.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.8
$5.23
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.61
$3.26
 Cappuccino
$3.72
$3.06
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.95
$1.07
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$816
$531
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$626
$359
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1634
$1193
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1270
$747
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$172
$100
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$265
$154
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$48.4
$34
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.97%
1.83%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5713
$5404
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4322
$3197
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.38
$1.83
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$55.9
$60.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.2
$26.3
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.95
$1.18
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.22
$1.49
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.1
$1.56
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.17
$3.15
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.62
$2.23
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.9
$12.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.2
$6.34
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$19
$16.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.94
$4.83
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$2.36
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.24
$3.86
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$4.55
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$2.72
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$2.57
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.62
$0.58
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.09
$1.48
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$6.21
$8.16
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.02
$1.97
🚬 Cigarette pack
$9.02
$4.19
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.2
$10.4
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.89
$3.78
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.73
$1.41
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.82
$1.69
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$38.3
$57
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$13.4
$12.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$66.6
$33.3
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.5
$17.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$89.1
$45.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$98
$60.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$456
$350
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12525
$11669

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Germany vs Japan

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Germany

City Cost of living Population
Berlin
$2104
3.76M
Hamburg City
$2022
1.89M
Munich
$2332
1.51M
Cologne
$1851
1.08M
Frankfurt
$2102
773K
Dusseldorf
$1861
629K
Stuttgart
$2063
633K
Bremen City
$1799
569K
Dortmund
$1523
593K
Nuremberg
$1784
523K
Essen
$1525
585K
Dresden
$1462
563K
Leipzig
$1449
616K
Hanover
$1828
545K
Wuppertal
$1206
359K
Mannheim
$1679
316K
Bielefeld
$1481
338K
Bochum
$1618
366K
Duisburg
$1425
502K
Munster
$1809
321K
Bonn
$1765
336K
Wiesbaden
$1953
283K
Augsburg
$1714
301K
Braunschweig
$1456
252K
Karlsruhe
$1782
309K
Aachen
$1569
252K
Halle
$1320
242K
Chemnitz
$1228
249K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1320
236K
Monchengladbach
$1563
268K

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1641
14.3M
Yokohama
$1385
3.76M
Osaka
$1212
2.75M
Nagoya
$1248
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1187
1.54M
Sapporo
$1268
1.96M
Kyoto
$1210
1.46M
Kobe
$1119
1.52M
Sendai
$1111
1.06M
Saitama
$1038
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1162
1.6M
Sakai
$1174
824K
Hiroshima
$1003
1.2M
Yokosuka
$1153
390K
Sagamihara
$1060
726K
Chiba
$1244
975K
Kitakyushu
$1044
935K
Kagoshima
$1092
594K
Hachioji
$1252
576K
Kumamoto
$970
738K
Wakayama
$1226
353K
Amagasaki
$1132
456K
Kawaguchi
$1056
594K
Utsunomiya
$1048
518K
Niigata
$1108
791K
Shizuoka
$991
686K
Hamamatsu
$1046
788K
Funabashi
$1145
641K
Himeji
$1212
528K
Kurashiki
$1103
475K