Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $2,317 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,317

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in Japan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Canada and in Japan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,317 per month in Canada vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

Canada $2,317
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Canada vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

Canada $3,358
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $4,399 per month in Canada vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

Canada $4,399
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($884–$3,722) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 79% higher than in Japan on average.

Canada sits 71% above the global median, while Japan is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.00 CA$25.44

$6.39 ¥1,010

181.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$99.8

$32.17 ¥5,082

119.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 CA$15.24

$5.17 ¥816

108.51%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.07 ¥486

21.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$1.16 ¥183

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$0.79 ¥125

116.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 CA$7.87

$3.24 ¥512

71.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.98

$3.70 ¥585

52.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$1.48 ¥233

52.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.44 ¥228

84.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.94

$4.77 ¥754

-26.62%

Eggs

$3.64 CA$5.14

$2.09 ¥331

74.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 CA$15.29

$11.54 ¥1,823

-6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 CA$16.71

$6.05 ¥956

95.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 CA$21.88

$17.21 ¥2,718

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$4.80 ¥758

-13.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.41 ¥380

-40.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.11 ¥649

-6.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 CA$5.81

$4.40 ¥695

-6.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$2.74 ¥433

-5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$2.58 ¥408

-5.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 CA$3.60

$1.26 ¥199

101.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$0.82 ¥130

108.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.03 CA$19.83

$3.99 ¥630

251.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.34 CA$18.85

$7.35 ¥1,161

81.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$1.92 ¥303

52.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$2.59 ¥409

22.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.43

$1.40 ¥222

72.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.1 CA$103

$58.4 ¥9,225

25.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.49

$3.68 ¥582

-13.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$3.21 ¥507

-54.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.76 CA$37.83

$19.82 ¥3,131

35.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.06 ¥168

16.04%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.5K CA$38.9K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

26.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.2K CA$29.9K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

34.21%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$146 CA$207

$151 ¥23.9K

-3.08%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$42.95 CA$60.7

$24.37 ¥3,851

76.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$32.59 ¥5,149

78.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.50 CA$57.3

$52.1 ¥8,228

-22.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 CA$27.40

$18.37 ¥2,903

5.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 CA$15.79

$12.39 ¥1,957

-9.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$771 CA$1,090

$529 ¥83.7K

45.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K CA$20.5K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

23.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$76.2

$46.12 ¥7,287

16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.89 CA$55.0

$29.36 ¥4,639

32.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 CA$125

$61.7 ¥9,750

43.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$143

$77.2 ¥12.2K

31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 CA$1,784

$565 ¥89.3K

123.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 CA$1,610

$389 ¥61.4K

192.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 CA$2,913

$1,321 ¥208.8K

55.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 CA$2,445

$761 ¥120.3K

127.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,554 CA$6,438

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-15.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,933 CA$5,560

$2,746 ¥433.8K

43.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,050 CA$4,312

$2,068 ¥326.6K

47.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

2.13

128.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Canada: October 20, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 49.2%

Japan

$389 30% 65.9% $750

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$372 16.1%

Japan

$308 23.7% 17.2% $64

Eating Out

Canada

$275 11.9%

Japan

$135 10.4% 51% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$248 10.7%

Japan

$208 16% 16% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Japan

$96 7.4% 24% $31

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Japan

$84 6.5% 10.2% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$63 2.7%

Japan

$77 5.9% 22.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,207 in Canada vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,437 in Ottawa and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $2,936 in Canada vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 131% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 94% more in Canada.

Public transport is 16% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 52% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

13 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Canada vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 79% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,207 versus $522 in Japan.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Japan, adding to the overall 79% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Japan, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Japan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.