Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,297 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Japan versus $800 in China.

Japan $1,297
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,998 in Japan versus $1,266 in China.

Japan $1,998
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,699 in Japan versus $1,731 in China.

Japan $2,699
China $1,731

Japan ($724–$1,648) and China ($462–$1,256) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Japan is roughly 62% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Japan 4% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$2.92 ¥19.50

118.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$22.45 ¥150

43.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$5.33 ¥35.65

-3.00%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$3.04 ¥20.34

0.99%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$0.48 ¥3.23

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.30 ¥2.02

163.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.07 ¥7.12

202.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$2.26 ¥15.11

63.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.75 ¥11.70

-15.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.62 ¥10.80

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$0.99 ¥6.63

381.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$1.56 ¥10.44

33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$13.25 ¥88.6

-12.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$3.37 ¥22.50

79.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$11.39 ¥76.2

51.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$1.82 ¥12.19

163.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$1.25 ¥8.34

92.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$1.55 ¥10.39

165.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$1.28 ¥8.55

243.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.71 ¥4.72

285.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$0.86 ¥5.75

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$0.65 ¥4.36

93.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.59 ¥3.97

38.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$3.76 ¥25.14

6.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$11.76 ¥78.6

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$0.91 ¥6.11

110.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.62 ¥10.86

59.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$0.31 ¥2.10

351.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$22.75 ¥152

156.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$1.52 ¥10.17

142.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.37 ¥2.50

767.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$7.28 ¥48.66

172.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.25 ¥8.38

-15.20%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$19.4K ¥129.7K

11.71%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

-7.80%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$55.5 ¥371

172.07%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$8.29 ¥55.4

193.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$10.97 ¥73.3

197.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$40.38 ¥270

28.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$14.76 ¥98.7

24.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$6.76 ¥45.18

83.28%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$465 ¥3,108

13.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-40.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$46.32 ¥310

-0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$36.30 ¥243

-19.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$76.3 ¥510

-19.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$78.8 ¥527

-2.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$396 ¥2,646

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$240 ¥1,604

62.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$822 ¥5,499

60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$466 ¥3,116

63.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

19.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

20.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$1,075 ¥7,188

92.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

3.46

-38.44%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

China

$240 30% 38.3% $149

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

China

$209 26.1% 32.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

China

$75 9.3% 64.1% $133

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

China

$89 11.1% 34.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

China

$107 13.4% 10.9% $10

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

China

$27 3.4% 67.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

China

$54 6.7% 29.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $522 in Japan, $299 in China. Capital cities: $1,288 in Tokyo vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,926 in Japan, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 75% higher in Japan.

Dining out costs 57% more in Japan.

Public transport is 200% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 121% higher in Japan, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Japan.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Japan

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

1 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Japan China 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Japan
China

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

Japan vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,297 in Japan, there's a 62% 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 China: 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 $522 in Japan and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Japan 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: China wins on affordability; Japan may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.