Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $2,065 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,065

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany 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 Germany and in Japan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,065 in Germany versus $1,297 in Japan.

Germany $2,065
Japan $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Germany versus $1,998 in Japan.

Germany $3,136
Japan $1,998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,208 in Germany versus $2,699 in Japan.

Germany $4,208
Japan $2,699

Internal cost variation is higher in Germany: monthly costs span $1,345 to $2,663, compared to $724–$1,648 in Japan. City choice carries more weight in Germany.

Living in Germany is roughly 59% more expensive than in Japan on average.

Germany (52% above) and Japan (4% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.61 €14.77

$6.39 ¥1,010

159.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 €64.4

$32.17 ¥5,082

125.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 €10.81

$5.17 ¥816

135.01%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$3.07 ¥486

28.99%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.16 ¥183

197.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$0.79 ¥125

287.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.62

$3.24 ¥512

60.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.08

$3.70 ¥585

24.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.48 ¥233

-14.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.44 ¥228

47.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.17

$4.77 ¥754

-25.37%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.37

$2.09 ¥331

81.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.03

$11.54 ¥1,823

26.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$6.05 ¥956

94.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.78 €18.48

$17.21 ¥2,718

20.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$4.80 ¥758

-33.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.41 ¥380

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$4.11 ¥649

-46.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$4.40 ¥695

-2.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.74 ¥433

-47.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.58 ¥408

-42.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.26 ¥199

32.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.82 ¥130

30.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 €8.81

$3.99 ¥630

148.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$7.35 ¥1,161

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.92 ¥303

-43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.59 ¥409

-38.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 €3.42

$1.40 ¥222

174.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.1

$58.4 ¥9,225

21.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 €4.91

$3.68 ¥582

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$3.21 ¥507

-14.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.54 €34.28

$19.82 ¥3,131

94.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.06 ¥168

99.06%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

52.19%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

145.44%

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

$338 €301

$151 ¥23.9K

124.00%

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

$24.76 €22.02

$24.37 ¥3,851

1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.37 €42.13

$32.59 ¥5,149

45.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$52.1 ¥8,228

-21.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.41 €24.38

$18.37 ¥2,903

49.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.31 €12.73

$12.39 ¥1,957

15.50%

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

$573 €510

$529 ¥83.7K

8.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.6K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

49.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$46.12 ¥7,287

93.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.77 €38.04

$29.36 ¥4,639

45.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €88.5

$61.7 ¥9,750

61.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$77.2 ¥12.2K

70.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$565 ¥89.3K

58.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 €625

$389 ¥61.4K

80.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,490

$1,321 ¥208.8K

26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$761 ¥120.3K

72.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,163 €5,482

$5,415 ¥855.5K

13.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 €3,582

$2,746 ¥433.8K

46.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 €2,864

$2,068 ¥326.6K

55.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

2.13

85.92%

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

Last update for Germany: October 19, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$703 34%

Japan

$389 30% 44.7% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$410 19.9%

Japan

$208 16% 49.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.2%

Japan

$308 23.7% 8.2% $27

Eating Out

Germany

$278 13.5%

Japan

$135 10.4% 51.5% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$163 7.9%

Japan

$96 7.4% 41% $67

Getting Around

Germany

$105 5.1%

Japan

$84 6.5% 20.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$70 3.4%

Japan

$77 5.9% 10.2% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $800 in Germany, $522 in Japan. Capital cities: $1,398 in Berlin vs $1,288 in Tokyo.

National salary averages: $3,119 in Germany, $1,926 in Japan. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 53% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 115% more in Germany.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 62% higher in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

21:11 9:11 PM

7 h ahead of Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Germany Japan 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Germany
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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

Germany vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,065 per month in Germany and $1,297 in Japan, there's a 59% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Japan: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $800 in Germany and $522 in Japan. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Japan, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Japan wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.