Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and Germany

Name: Germany
Address: DE

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.

63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
Learn more

Germany Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Japan and in Germany

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 Germany actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Japan $1,297
Germany $2,065

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

Japan $1,998
Germany $3,136

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

Japan $2,699
Germany $4,208

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 Japan costs about 37% less than in Germany on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$16.61 €14.77

-61.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.17 ¥5,082

$72.4 €64.4

-55.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥816

$12.15 €10.81

-57.45%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$3.96 €3.52

-22.47%

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

$1.16 ¥183

$3.45 €3.07

-66.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$3.06 €2.72

-74.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ¥512

$5.19 €4.62

-37.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.59 €4.08

-19.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.27 €1.13

16.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥228

$2.13 €1.90

-32.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.77 ¥754

$3.56 €3.17

33.99%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥331

$3.79 €3.37

-44.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 ¥1,823

$14.65 €13.03

-21.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 ¥956

$11.78 €10.48

-48.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.21 ¥2,718

$20.78 €18.48

-17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$3.17 €2.82

51.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$1.98 €1.76

21.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$2.21 €1.96

85.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 ¥695

$4.28 €3.81

2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.45 €1.29

88.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.49 €1.33

73.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.67 €1.49

-24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$1.07 €0.95

-23.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$9.90 €8.81

-59.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 ¥1,161

$6.56 €5.83

12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.09 €0.97

76.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 ¥409

$1.60 €1.43

61.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ¥222

$3.84 €3.42

-63.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,225

$70.9 €63.1

-17.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥582

$5.52 €4.91

-33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$2.74 €2.44

17.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 ¥3,131

$38.54 €34.28

-48.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$2.11 €1.87

-49.76%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$33.0K €29.3K

-34.29%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$38.7K €34.4K

-59.26%

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

$151 ¥23.9K

$338 €301

-55.36%

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

$24.37 ¥3,851

$24.76 €22.02

-1.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 ¥5,149

$47.37 €42.13

-31.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,228

$41.14 €36.59

26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 ¥2,903

$27.41 €24.38

-32.98%

Cinema Ticket

$12.39 ¥1,957

$14.31 €12.73

-13.42%

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

$529 ¥83.7K

$573 €510

-7.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ¥1.9M

$17.6K €15.6K

-33.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 ¥7,287

$89.1 €79.3

-48.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 ¥4,639

$42.77 €38.04

-31.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 ¥9,750

$99.5 €88.5

-37.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ¥12.2K

$132 €117

-41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.3K

$896 €797

-36.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ¥61.4K

$703 €625

-44.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 ¥208.8K

$1,675 €1,490

-21.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$1,314 €1,169

-42.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,415 ¥855.5K

$6,163 €5,482

-12.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 ¥433.8K

$4,027 €3,582

-31.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,068 ¥326.6K

$3,219 €2,864

-35.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

3.96

-46.21%

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

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Germany: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Japan

$389 30%

Germany

$703 34% 80.7% $314

Groceries & Markets

Japan

$308 23.7%

Germany

$335 16.2% 8.9% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Japan

$208 16%

Germany

$410 19.9% 97.3% $202

Eating Out

Japan

$135 10.4%

Germany

$278 13.5% 106% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Japan

$96 7.4%

Germany

$163 7.9% 69.4% $67

Getting Around

Japan

$84 6.5%

Germany

$105 5.1% 26% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Japan

$77 5.9%

Germany

$70 3.4% 9.2% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $1,926 in Japan, $3,119 in Germany. 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

🇯🇵 Japan

🇩🇪 Germany

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

7 h behind Japan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,440,000

84,358,845

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

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

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Japan Germany 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Japan
Germany

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 Germany: 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.