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 34.1% higher than in Japan (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 61.2% higher than in Japan
Rent Prices in United States are 172.5% higher than in Japan
Restaurant Prices in United States are 120.8% higher than in Japan
Groceries Prices in United States are 22.0% higher than in Japan
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 26.6% 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 ¥ (6.79 $)	2,946.73 ¥ (20.00 $)	+194.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	5,000.00 ¥ (33.94 $)	11,050.22 ¥ (75.00 $)	+121.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	800.00 ¥ (5.43 $)	1,682.58 ¥ (11.42 $)	+110.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	500.00 ¥ (3.39 $)	884.02 ¥ (6.00 $)	+76.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	600.00 ¥ (4.07 $)	1,031.35 ¥ (7.00 $)	+71.9 %
Cappuccino (regular)	478.20 ¥ (3.25 $)	773.26 ¥ (5.25 $)	+61.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	160.00 ¥ (1.09 $)	378.24 ¥ (2.57 $)	+136.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	117.82 ¥ (0.80 $)	308.08 ¥ (2.09 $)	+161.5 %
Markets	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	839.90 ¥ (5.70 $)	591.51 ¥ (4.01 $)	-29.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	202.93 ¥ (1.38 $)	486.75 ¥ (3.30 $)	+139.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	303.11 ¥ (2.06 $)	308.76 ¥ (2.10 $)	+1.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	322.00 ¥ (2.19 $)	635.71 ¥ (4.31 $)	+97.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	797.55 ¥ (5.41 $)	862.41 ¥ (5.85 $)	+8.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	444.50 ¥ (3.02 $)	817.17 ¥ (5.55 $)	+83.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	1,270.82 ¥ (8.63 $)	1,091.93 ¥ (7.41 $)	-14.1 %
Apples (1 lb)	342.20 ¥ (2.32 $)	353.01 ¥ (2.40 $)	+3.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	170.69 ¥ (1.16 $)	112.49 ¥ (0.76 $)	-34.1 %
Oranges (1 lb)	310.57 ¥ (2.11 $)	300.70 ¥ (2.04 $)	-3.2 %
Tomato (1 lb)	318.33 ¥ (2.16 $)	328.62 ¥ (2.23 $)	+3.2 %
Potato (1 lb)	186.18 ¥ (1.26 $)	196.54 ¥ (1.33 $)	+5.6 %
Onion (1 lb)	174.18 ¥ (1.18 $)	205.63 ¥ (1.40 $)	+18.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	198.76 ¥ (1.35 $)	324.82 ¥ (2.20 $)	+63.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	133.24 ¥ (0.90 $)	329.32 ¥ (2.24 $)	+147.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	1,200.00 ¥ (8.14 $)	2,210.04 ¥ (15.00 $)	+84.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	310.01 ¥ (2.10 $)	289.17 ¥ (1.96 $)	-6.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	420.43 ¥ (2.85 $)	532.06 ¥ (3.61 $)	+26.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	600.00 ¥ (4.07 $)	1,473.36 ¥ (10.00 $)	+145.6 %
Transportation	Japan Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	220.00 ¥ (1.49 $)	368.34 ¥ (2.50 $)	+67.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	8,416.67 ¥ (57.13 $)	9,576.86 ¥ (65.00 $)	+13.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	600.00 ¥ (4.07 $)	530.41 ¥ (3.60 $)	-11.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	708.11 ¥ (4.81 $)	412.54 ¥ (2.80 $)	-41.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,400.00 ¥ (23.08 $)	4,420.09 ¥ (30.00 $)	+30.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	657.87 ¥ (4.47 $)	508.76 ¥ (3.45 $)	-22.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	3,342,000.00 ¥ (22,682.80 $)	4,420,089.00 ¥ (30,000.00 $)	+32.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	2,567,535.64 ¥ (17,426.36 $)	3,830,219.04 ¥ (25,996.44 $)	+49.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	25,223.08 ¥ (171.19 $)	30,736.38 ¥ (208.61 $)	+21.9 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	3,840.45 ¥ (26.07 $)	8,425.26 ¥ (57.18 $)	+119.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	5,081.64 ¥ (34.49 $)	10,583.79 ¥ (71.83 $)	+108.3 %
Sports And Leisure	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	8,487.59 ¥ (57.61 $)	6,748.79 ¥ (45.81 $)	-20.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	2,280.58 ¥ (15.48 $)	3,228.28 ¥ (21.91 $)	+41.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	1,900.00 ¥ (12.90 $)	2,062.71 ¥ (14.00 $)	+8.6 %
Childcare	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	47,017.27 ¥ (319.12 $)	202,262.88 ¥ (1,372.80 $)	+330.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	1,915,932.59 ¥ (13,003.81 $)	3,430,222.22 ¥ (23,281.58 $)	+79.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	Japan Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	7,061.33 ¥ (47.93 $)	7,698.77 ¥ (52.25 $)	+9.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	4,697.94 ¥ (31.89 $)	6,264.62 ¥ (42.52 $)	+33.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	9,044.58 ¥ (61.39 $)	13,268.22 ¥ (90.05 $)	+46.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	12,556.84 ¥ (85.23 $)	16,743.21 ¥ (113.64 $)	+33.3 %
Rent Per Month	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	86,204.09 ¥ (585.08 $)	255,672.52 ¥ (1,735.30 $)	+196.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	60,053.58 ¥ (407.60 $)	211,019.64 ¥ (1,432.23 $)	+251.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	190,088.55 ¥ (1,290.17 $)	423,827.46 ¥ (2,876.60 $)	+123.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	119,619.96 ¥ (811.88 $)	352,169.84 ¥ (2,390.24 $)	+194.4 %
Buy Apartment Price	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	83,723.44 ¥ (568.25 $)	44,261.46 ¥ (300.41 $)	-47.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	47,738.99 ¥ (324.01 $)	37,163.04 ¥ (252.23 $)	-22.2 %
Salaries And Financing	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	311,770.82 ¥ (2,116.05 $)	636,019.90 ¥ (4,316.79 $)	+104.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	1.82	6.51	+258.5 %
Last update:	22 June 2025	23 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	536	11400

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