Japan vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1135
$2498
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2913
$5861
🏠 One person rent
$514
$1595
🏘️ Family rent
$995
$2818
🍽️ Food expenses
$390
$638
🚐 Transport expenses
$131
$100
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2115
$4485
💸 GDP per capita
$33767
$82769
😃 Human freedom index
8.73
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
84
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
71
65
🌐 English speaking %
15%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
98
100
😀 Quality of life
89
86
🏙️ Population
125M
340M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1135) is 55% less expensive than in the United States ($2498). Japan ranked 62nd vs 7th 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 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 15th and 21st 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
$6.54
$19.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.2
$77.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.2
$11
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.36
$6.27
 Cappuccino
$3.23
$5.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.11
$2.59
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$514
$1640
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$348
$1347
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1167
$2923
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$720
$2471
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$99.5
$124
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$190
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$33
$66.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.79%
6.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5067
$4583
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2977
$3784
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.68
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$58.3
$68.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.6
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.43
$1.1
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.47
$3.59
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.2
$4.49
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.09
$4.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$13.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.36
$11.9
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20.3
$16.4
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.7
$5.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.24
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.98
$4.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.36
$4.63
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.5
$2.84
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.21
$2.86
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.61
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.43
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.72
$14.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.96
$2.21
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.08
$10.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$9.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.7
$5.83
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.38
$4.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.65
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$54.8
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.1
$14.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$125
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.5
$21.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.4
$53.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$57.1
$90
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$369
$1451
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12687
$21164

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
$1607
14.3M
Yokohama
$1335
3.76M
Osaka
$1242
2.75M
Nagoya
$1202
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1249
1.54M
Hiroshima
$878
1.2M
Sapporo
$1204
1.96M
Kyoto
$1148
1.46M
Kobe
$1107
1.52M
Chiba
$1267
975K
Saitama
$1196
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1057
1.6M
Sendai
$1055
1.06M
Sakai
$1146
824K
Yokosuka
$1125
390K
Sagamihara
$1042
726K
Shizuoka
$932
686K
Kitakyushu
$1003
935K
Kagoshima
$1158
594K
Hachioji
$1305
576K
Wakayama
$1189
353K
Kumamoto
$894
738K
Amagasaki
$1111
456K
Utsunomiya
$1009
518K
Kawaguchi
$1081
594K
Funabashi
$1231
641K
Niigata
$1059
791K
Hamamatsu
$1045
788K
Himeji
$1181
528K
Kurashiki
$1078
475K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4441
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3196
3.9M
Chicago
$2678
2.75M
Houston
$2265
2.3M
San Diego
$3428
1.39M
Phoenix
$2395
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$3905
874K
Dallas
$2471
1.3M
San Jose
$3810
1.01M
San Antonio
$2033
1.43M
Austin
$2455
962K
Seattle
$3015
737K
Indianapolis
$2189
888K
Washington
$3149
690K
Fort Worth
$2289
919K
Hempstead
$2664
793K
Charlotte
$2528
875K
Boston
$3547
676K
Jacksonville
$2364
950K
Denver
$2717
716K
Columbus
$2145
906K
Portland
$2629
653K
Nashville
$2508
689K
Atlanta
$2570
499K
Las Vegas
$2271
642K
Oklahoma City
$1832
681K
Baltimore
$2287
586K
Oakland
$2968
441K
Sacramento
$2813
525K