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

😐 Solo nomad: Japan is 70.2% more expensive than China without rent, and 79.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Japan is 63.3% more expensive than China without rent, and 67.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Japan
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.10 ¥1,116
$2.82 ¥19.51
151.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.58 ¥5,434
$23.62 ¥163
46.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.64 ¥886
$4.97 ¥34.35
13.48%
Cappuccino
$3.39 ¥533
$3.14 ¥21.66
7.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ¥179
$0.44 ¥3.07
159.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥122
$0.27 ¥1.84
188.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.39 ¥532
$0.93 ¥6.40
264.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 ¥639
$2.08 ¥14.37
95.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Japan
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ¥247
$1.84 ¥12.70
-14.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 ¥242
$1.62 ¥11.17
-4.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.56 ¥717
$0.96 ¥6.62
375.00%
Eggs
$2.29 ¥359
$1.56 ¥10.76
46.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.11 ¥1,903
$13.18 ¥91.1
-8.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.67 ¥1,049
$3.21 ¥22.15
107.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.14 ¥3,007
$10.89 ¥75.3
75.76%
Apples (1kg)
$5.17 ¥812
$1.77 ¥12.20
192.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 ¥410
$1.25 ¥8.64
108.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.67 ¥735
$1.52 ¥10.53
207.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.77 ¥750
$1.15 ¥7.95
314.78%
Potato (1kg)
$2.78 ¥437
$0.76 ¥5.28
265.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ¥427
$0.89 ¥6.14
205.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 ¥211
$0.61 ¥4.24
119.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 ¥139
$0.54 ¥3.72
62.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 ¥647
$3.38 ¥23.33
21.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.29 ¥1,460
$11.67 ¥80.6
-20.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.11 ¥331
$0.78 ¥5.39
170.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 ¥449
$1.67 ¥11.54
71.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Japan
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 ¥234
$0.43 ¥2.98
246.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.9 ¥9,258
$20.93 ¥145
181.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 ¥659
$1.41 ¥9.74
197.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.92 ¥459
$0.35 ¥2.44
734.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.85 ¥3,747
$6.48 ¥44.78
268.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 ¥191
$1.16 ¥8.04
5.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K ¥3.7M
$19.3K ¥133.1K
21.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.9K ¥2.8M
$17.0K ¥117.4K
5.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Japan
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 ¥27.0K
$51.3 ¥354
235.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.48 ¥4,161
$9.84 ¥68.0
169.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.31 ¥5,547
$11.49 ¥79.4
207.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Japan
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.3 ¥9,166
$40.28 ¥278
44.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.65 ¥2,459
$14.78 ¥102
5.89%
Cinema Ticket
$13.10 ¥2,059
$6.41 ¥44.30
104.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Japan
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$341 ¥53.5K
$403 ¥2,787
-15.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K ¥2.1M
$17.9K ¥123.5K
-25.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Japan
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.89 ¥7,682
$45.91 ¥317
6.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.75 ¥5,145
$32.39 ¥224
1.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 ¥10.1K
$71.2 ¥492
-10.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.4 ¥13.6K
$74.0 ¥511
16.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Japan
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ¥94.9K
$436 ¥3,013
38.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$414 ¥65.1K
$254 ¥1,752
63.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,408 ¥221.2K
$900 ¥6,219
56.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$819 ¥128.6K
$548 ¥3,787
49.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,160 ¥967.9K
$5,140 ¥35.5K
19.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,080 ¥484.0K
$2,676 ¥18.5K
15.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Japan
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,975 ¥310.4K
$1,024 ¥7,079
92.85%
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: March 1, 2026

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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