Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Japan:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 35.9% higher than in Japan (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 63.2% higher than in Japan
Rent Prices in United States are 173.5% higher than in Japan
Restaurant Prices in United States are 123.7% higher than in Japan
Groceries Prices in United States are 24.6% higher than in Japan
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 22.2% higher than in Japan

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Japan Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	1,000.00 ¥ (6.67 $)	2,997.10 ¥ (20.00 $)	+199.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	5,000.00 ¥ (33.37 $)	11,239.12 ¥ (75.00 $)	+124.8 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	800.00 ¥ (5.34 $)	1,648.40 ¥ (11.00 $)	+106.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	500.00 ¥ (3.34 $)	899.13 ¥ (6.00 $)	+79.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	600.00 ¥ (4.00 $)	1,048.98 ¥ (7.00 $)	+74.8 %
Cappuccino (regular)	476.50 ¥ (3.18 $)	782.27 ¥ (5.22 $)	+64.2 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	155.14 ¥ (1.04 $)	382.60 ¥ (2.55 $)	+146.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	115.73 ¥ (0.77 $)	311.68 ¥ (2.08 $)	+169.3 %
Markets	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	835.34 ¥ (5.57 $)	599.23 ¥ (4.00 $)	-28.3 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	205.04 ¥ (1.37 $)	493.22 ¥ (3.29 $)	+140.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	276.68 ¥ (1.85 $)	312.00 ¥ (2.08 $)	+12.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	319.29 ¥ (2.13 $)	622.30 ¥ (4.15 $)	+94.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	772.71 ¥ (5.16 $)	880.88 ¥ (5.88 $)	+14.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	442.20 ¥ (2.95 $)	825.86 ¥ (5.51 $)	+86.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	1,247.81 ¥ (8.33 $)	1,102.71 ¥ (7.36 $)	-11.6 %
Apples (1 lb)	346.16 ¥ (2.31 $)	358.40 ¥ (2.39 $)	+3.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	169.83 ¥ (1.13 $)	113.94 ¥ (0.76 $)	-32.9 %
Oranges (1 lb)	317.45 ¥ (2.12 $)	305.02 ¥ (2.04 $)	-3.9 %
Tomato (1 lb)	315.86 ¥ (2.11 $)	333.40 ¥ (2.22 $)	+5.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	184.63 ¥ (1.23 $)	198.99 ¥ (1.33 $)	+7.8 %
Onion (1 lb)	169.68 ¥ (1.13 $)	208.92 ¥ (1.39 $)	+23.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	196.50 ¥ (1.31 $)	330.12 ¥ (2.20 $)	+68.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	132.92 ¥ (0.89 $)	333.15 ¥ (2.22 $)	+150.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	1,200.00 ¥ (8.01 $)	2,247.83 ¥ (15.00 $)	+87.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	310.96 ¥ (2.08 $)	290.94 ¥ (1.94 $)	-6.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	424.03 ¥ (2.83 $)	537.70 ¥ (3.59 $)	+26.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	600.00 ¥ (4.00 $)	1,498.55 ¥ (10.00 $)	+149.8 %
Transportation	Japan Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	220.00 ¥ (1.47 $)	374.64 ¥ (2.50 $)	+70.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	8,000.00 ¥ (53.38 $)	9,740.58 ¥ (65.00 $)	+21.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	600.00 ¥ (4.00 $)	561.96 ¥ (3.75 $)	-6.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	708.11 ¥ (4.73 $)	419.59 ¥ (2.80 $)	-40.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,400.00 ¥ (22.69 $)	4,495.65 ¥ (30.00 $)	+32.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	656.04 ¥ (4.38 $)	526.64 ¥ (3.51 $)	-19.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	3,342,000.00 ¥ (22,301.56 $)	4,495,650.00 ¥ (30,000.00 $)	+34.5 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	2,568,495.43 ¥ (17,139.87 $)	3,890,686.23 ¥ (25,963.01 $)	+51.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	25,682.63 ¥ (171.38 $)	31,149.42 ¥ (207.86 $)	+21.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	3,897.37 ¥ (26.01 $)	8,567.65 ¥ (57.17 $)	+119.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	5,059.81 ¥ (33.76 $)	10,711.75 ¥ (71.48 $)	+111.7 %
Sports And Leisure	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	8,551.27 ¥ (57.06 $)	6,974.91 ¥ (46.54 $)	-18.4 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	2,336.47 ¥ (15.59 $)	3,273.41 ¥ (21.84 $)	+40.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	1,900.00 ¥ (12.68 $)	2,097.97 ¥ (14.00 $)	+10.4 %
Childcare	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	55,950.35 ¥ (373.36 $)	206,007.29 ¥ (1,374.71 $)	+268.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	1,994,478.74 ¥ (13,309.39 $)	3,391,038.54 ¥ (22,628.80 $)	+70.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	Japan Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	6,777.86 ¥ (45.23 $)	7,794.82 ¥ (52.02 $)	+15.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	4,741.37 ¥ (31.64 $)	6,382.53 ¥ (42.59 $)	+34.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	8,768.86 ¥ (58.52 $)	13,405.88 ¥ (89.46 $)	+52.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	12,276.88 ¥ (81.93 $)	16,958.84 ¥ (113.17 $)	+38.1 %
Rent Per Month	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	89,180.93 ¥ (595.11 $)	261,423.42 ¥ (1,744.51 $)	+193.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	60,242.41 ¥ (402.00 $)	215,482.85 ¥ (1,437.94 $)	+257.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	196,451.93 ¥ (1,310.95 $)	436,099.90 ¥ (2,910.15 $)	+122.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	119,449.97 ¥ (797.10 $)	359,490.35 ¥ (2,398.92 $)	+201.0 %
Buy Apartment Price	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	92,212.69 ¥ (615.35 $)	44,992.84 ¥ (300.24 $)	-51.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	50,905.41 ¥ (339.70 $)	37,676.96 ¥ (251.42 $)	-26.0 %
Salaries And Financing	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	326,085.46 ¥ (2,176.01 $)	650,200.70 ¥ (4,338.87 $)	+99.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	1.82	6.57	+261.3 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	482	10360

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