Japan vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1160
$2454
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2959
$5738
🏠 One person rent
$528
$1565
🏘️ Family rent
$1024
$2755
🍽️ Food expenses
$394
$624
🚐 Transport expenses
$136
$102
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2197
$4635
💸 GDP per capita
$33834
$81695
😃 Human freedom index
8.4
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
84
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
69
🌐 English speaking %
15%
95.5%
🎓 Higher education
98
100
😀 Quality of life
89
87
🏙️ Population
125M
332M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1160) is 53% less expensive than in the United States ($2454). Japan ranked 65th vs 10th for the United States 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 Japan compared to 1.9 months in the United States. Ranked 16th and 20th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Japan vs United States infographic

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Prices in Japan vs the United States

We calculate prices for Japan and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 907 and 2202 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.

Japan United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.89
$18.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.4
$75
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.23
$10.8
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.26
$6.19
 Cappuccino
$3.06
$5.13
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.07
$2.57
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$531
$1641
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$359
$1330
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1193
$2946
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$747
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$100
$123
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$189
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$34
$66.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.83%
6.53%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5404
$4710
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3197
$3231
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.83
$2.37
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.6
$70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$26.3
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$0.98
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.49
$1.08
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.56
$3.5
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.15
$4.35
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$3.81
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$13
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.34
$11.6
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.8
$15.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.83
$5.03
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.36
$1.76
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.86
$4.51
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.55
$4.74
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$2.81
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.57
$2.88
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$1.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.48
$2.6
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.16
$14.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.97
$2.17
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.19
$10.3
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$9.41
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.78
$6.07
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.41
$4.4
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.69
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57
$51.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$14.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$122
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.1
$20.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.4
$52.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$60.2
$89.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$350
$1400
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11669
$20224

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Japan vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4051
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3187
3.9M
Chicago
$2667
2.75M
Houston
$2248
2.3M
San Diego
$3346
1.39M
Phoenix
$2369
1.61M
San Jose
$3674
1.01M
Dallas
$2550
1.3M
San Francisco
$3781
874K
Philadelphia
$2541
1.6M
San Antonio
$2194
1.43M
Austin
$2473
962K
Seattle
$2908
737K
Indianapolis
$2187
888K
Hempstead
$2702
793K
Charlotte
$2615
875K
Washington
$3139
690K
Boston
$3467
676K
Fort Worth
$2195
919K
Jacksonville
$2386
950K
Columbus
$2252
906K
Denver
$2699
716K
Nashville
$2649
689K
Portland
$2572
653K
Atlanta
$2540
499K
Las Vegas
$2246
642K
Detroit
$2006
639K
Oakland
$3146
441K
El Paso
$1775
679K
Baltimore
$2223
586K