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 30.3% higher than in Japan (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 56.7% higher than in Japan
Rent Prices in United States are 164.2% higher than in Japan
Restaurant Prices in United States are 113.5% higher than in Japan
Groceries Prices in United States are 19.1% higher than in Japan
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 26.0% 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 ¥ (7.01 $)	2,855.10 ¥ (20.00 $)	+185.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	5,000.00 ¥ (35.03 $)	10,706.63 ¥ (75.00 $)	+114.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	800.00 ¥ (5.60 $)	1,600.28 ¥ (11.21 $)	+100.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	500.00 ¥ (3.50 $)	856.53 ¥ (6.00 $)	+71.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	600.00 ¥ (4.20 $)	999.29 ¥ (7.00 $)	+66.5 %
Cappuccino (regular)	476.90 ¥ (3.34 $)	746.52 ¥ (5.23 $)	+56.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	157.56 ¥ (1.10 $)	365.73 ¥ (2.56 $)	+132.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	117.00 ¥ (0.82 $)	298.30 ¥ (2.09 $)	+155.0 %
Markets	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	838.10 ¥ (5.87 $)	571.23 ¥ (4.00 $)	-31.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	204.55 ¥ (1.43 $)	469.84 ¥ (3.29 $)	+129.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	277.38 ¥ (1.94 $)	298.48 ¥ (2.09 $)	+7.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	319.65 ¥ (2.24 $)	603.82 ¥ (4.23 $)	+88.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	775.20 ¥ (5.43 $)	836.68 ¥ (5.86 $)	+7.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	443.38 ¥ (3.11 $)	787.93 ¥ (5.52 $)	+77.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	1,261.93 ¥ (8.84 $)	1,053.79 ¥ (7.38 $)	-16.5 %
Apples (1 lb)	342.30 ¥ (2.40 $)	341.78 ¥ (2.39 $)	-0.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	168.25 ¥ (1.18 $)	108.54 ¥ (0.76 $)	-35.5 %
Oranges (1 lb)	310.20 ¥ (2.17 $)	291.32 ¥ (2.04 $)	-6.1 %
Tomato (1 lb)	316.79 ¥ (2.22 $)	318.23 ¥ (2.23 $)	+0.5 %
Potato (1 lb)	182.07 ¥ (1.28 $)	189.96 ¥ (1.33 $)	+4.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	166.88 ¥ (1.17 $)	199.42 ¥ (1.40 $)	+19.5 %
Lettuce (1 head)	198.10 ¥ (1.39 $)	314.60 ¥ (2.20 $)	+58.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	132.81 ¥ (0.93 $)	317.97 ¥ (2.23 $)	+139.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	1,200.00 ¥ (8.41 $)	2,141.33 ¥ (15.00 $)	+78.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	309.30 ¥ (2.17 $)	278.31 ¥ (1.95 $)	-10.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	423.66 ¥ (2.97 $)	512.60 ¥ (3.59 $)	+21.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	600.00 ¥ (4.20 $)	1,427.55 ¥ (10.00 $)	+137.9 %
Transportation	Japan Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	220.00 ¥ (1.54 $)	356.89 ¥ (2.50 $)	+62.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	8,000.00 ¥ (56.04 $)	9,279.08 ¥ (65.00 $)	+16.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	600.00 ¥ (4.20 $)	535.33 ¥ (3.75 $)	-10.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	708.11 ¥ (4.96 $)	399.71 ¥ (2.80 $)	-43.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,400.00 ¥ (23.82 $)	4,282.65 ¥ (30.00 $)	+26.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	656.64 ¥ (4.60 $)	500.58 ¥ (3.51 $)	-23.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	3,342,000.00 ¥ (23,410.72 $)	4,282,653.00 ¥ (30,000.00 $)	+28.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	2,583,855.05 ¥ (18,099.91 $)	3,706,387.13 ¥ (25,963.26 $)	+43.4 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	25,789.57 ¥ (180.66 $)	29,704.12 ¥ (208.08 $)	+15.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	3,870.02 ¥ (27.11 $)	8,169.77 ¥ (57.23 $)	+111.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	5,063.38 ¥ (35.47 $)	10,205.00 ¥ (71.49 $)	+101.5 %
Sports And Leisure	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	8,560.70 ¥ (59.97 $)	6,638.74 ¥ (46.50 $)	-22.5 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	2,275.25 ¥ (15.94 $)	3,127.52 ¥ (21.91 $)	+37.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	1,900.00 ¥ (13.31 $)	2,050.68 ¥ (14.36 $)	+7.9 %
Childcare	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	54,225.52 ¥ (379.85 $)	196,521.72 ¥ (1,376.64 $)	+262.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	1,967,318.45 ¥ (13,781.07 $)	3,226,914.06 ¥ (22,604.54 $)	+64.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	Japan Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	6,825.22 ¥ (47.81 $)	7,440.32 ¥ (52.12 $)	+9.0 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	4,549.71 ¥ (31.87 $)	6,076.68 ¥ (42.57 $)	+33.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	8,910.49 ¥ (62.42 $)	12,793.50 ¥ (89.62 $)	+43.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	12,225.44 ¥ (85.64 $)	16,155.70 ¥ (113.17 $)	+32.1 %
Rent Per Month	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	87,631.56 ¥ (613.86 $)	248,821.23 ¥ (1,742.99 $)	+183.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	59,754.43 ¥ (418.58 $)	205,403.19 ¥ (1,438.85 $)	+243.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	194,873.54 ¥ (1,365.09 $)	414,953.43 ¥ (2,906.75 $)	+112.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	116,873.32 ¥ (818.70 $)	343,642.54 ¥ (2,407.22 $)	+194.0 %
Buy Apartment Price	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	86,576.51 ¥ (606.47 $)	43,215.26 ¥ (302.72 $)	-50.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	49,149.03 ¥ (344.29 $)	35,970.36 ¥ (251.97 $)	-26.8 %
Salaries And Financing	Japan Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	313,544.26 ¥ (2,196.38 $)	619,076.84 ¥ (4,336.64 $)	+97.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	1.82	6.51	+257.9 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	492	10758

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