Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and China

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: Japan is 65.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 81% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Japan is 68.4% more expensive than China without rent, and 66.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.86 ¥1,086

$2.77 ¥19.31

147.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.10 ¥5,394

$24.14 ¥169

41.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ¥862

$4.75 ¥33.15

14.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥539

$3.02 ¥21.06

12.91%

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

$1.12 ¥177

$0.44 ¥3.06

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥132

$0.27 ¥1.87

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 ¥556

$0.96 ¥6.67

266.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.04 ¥14.21

101.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.75 ¥12.21

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.69 ¥11.79

-10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 ¥720

$0.98 ¥6.85

364.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ¥343

$1.60 ¥11.19

35.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 ¥1,920

$13.34 ¥93.1

-9.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ¥1,052

$3.27 ¥22.82

103.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 ¥3,030

$10.63 ¥74.2

80.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ¥829

$1.74 ¥12.16

201.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$1.26 ¥8.76

107.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ¥746

$1.45 ¥10.13

225.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 ¥753

$1.19 ¥8.28

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 ¥450

$0.73 ¥5.08

290.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 ¥428

$0.86 ¥5.99

215.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$0.62 ¥4.30

127.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.53 ¥3.71

66.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ¥648

$3.44 ¥24.03

19.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.39 ¥1,326

$11.63 ¥81.2

-27.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥345

$0.84 ¥5.88

159.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.62 ¥11.30

77.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 ¥247

$0.44 ¥3.07

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.9 ¥9,309

$20.71 ¥145

184.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 ¥644

$1.42 ¥9.91

186.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 ¥472

$0.33 ¥2.27

806.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.31 ¥3,687

$6.51 ¥45.42

258.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.17 ¥8.19

1.71%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$19.2K ¥133.9K

19.03%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$16.6K ¥116.1K

5.55%

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

$176 ¥27.9K

$51.4 ¥359

242.60%

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

$27.10 ¥4,286

$9.63 ¥67.2

181.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.53 ¥5,460

$11.22 ¥78.3

207.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ¥9,214

$39.09 ¥273

49.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.77 ¥2,494

$14.70 ¥103

7.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 ¥2,086

$6.14 ¥42.89

114.82%

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

$343 ¥54.3K

$416 ¥2,905

-17.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$17.9K ¥125.0K

-24.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.18 ¥7,778

$45.24 ¥316

8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 ¥5,078

$32.59 ¥228

-1.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,756

$73.0 ¥509

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 ¥13.6K

$72.8 ¥508

18.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 ¥95.8K

$432 ¥3,018

40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥67.2K

$253 ¥1,767

67.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 ¥221.2K

$923 ¥6,441

51.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 ¥132.2K

$546 ¥3,811

53.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,928 ¥937.5K

$5,324 ¥37.2K

11.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,061 ¥484.1K

$2,784 ¥19.4K

9.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,973 ¥312.0K

$1,037 ¥7,240

90.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.82

4.06

-55.17%

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

Last update for Japan: January 13, 2026

Last update for China: January 11, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and China Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and China

Similar countries

🇲🇪 Montenegro

🇱🇻 Latvia

🇦🇲 Armenia

🇰🇼 Kuwait

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

🇨🇺 Cuba

🇸🇻 El Salvador

🇬🇾 Guyana