Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset, NJ and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $723 a month against $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $37,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

189

Cost of Living Index in Somerset, NJ
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Somerset, NJ Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index

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Somerset, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,865

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerset, NJ and in Niigata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,865 in Somerset, NJ versus $723 in Niigata.

Somerset, NJ $3,865
Niigata $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Somerset, NJ versus $1,092 in Niigata.

Somerset, NJ $4,297
Niigata $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,728 in Somerset, NJ versus $1,462 in Niigata.

Somerset, NJ $4,728
Niigata $1,462

Living in Somerset, NJ is roughly 435% more expensive than in Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Somerset, NJ is 186% above, Niigata is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$6.13 ¥969

197.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.28 $39.28

$15.60 ¥2,465

151.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.00 ¥790

63.20%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$2.60 ¥410

88.08%

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

$1.96 $1.96

$1.56 ¥246

25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.80 ¥127

83.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$2.58 ¥408

203.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.65 ¥419

169.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.22 ¥193

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 $4.38

$0.97 ¥154

351.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.55 ¥403

140.00%

Eggs

$2.02 $2.02

$2.23 ¥352

-9.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$7.68 ¥1,214

72.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$6.68 ¥1,055

52.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.45 $19.45

$16.34 ¥2,581

19.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.24 ¥513

87.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.23 ¥195

183.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.55 ¥402

69.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.43 $5.43

$2.27 ¥359

139.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.91 ¥302

59.16%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.95 ¥308

55.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$0.93 ¥148

161.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.65 ¥102

356.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.39 $17.39

$3.78 ¥598

360.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$4.30 ¥679

254.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.70 ¥269

4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.91 ¥301

84.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.26 ¥199

54.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.60 ¥410

13.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$3.09 ¥488

-27.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.34 $41.34

$18.34 ¥2,897

125.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.04 ¥165

5.77%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

93.05%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

102.85%

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

$173 $173

$147 ¥23.2K

17.93%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$21.26 ¥3,360

135.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.14 $49.14

$25.41 ¥4,015

93.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.91 $40.91

$52.0 ¥8,210

-21.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.24 ¥985

Cinema Ticket

$20.32 $20.32

$11.85 ¥1,872

71.48%

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

$2,016 $2,016

$63.2 ¥9,991

3088.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K $16.3K

$18.0K ¥2.8M

-9.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$31.35 ¥4,953

60.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.93 $40.93

$32.21 ¥5,089

27.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$37.87 ¥5,982

125.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$63.6 ¥10.0K

63.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$350 ¥55.3K

357.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,626 $2,626

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,527 $2,527

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 $2,114

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,767 $2,767

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 $2,399

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,267 ¥200.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

1.48

359.46%

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

Last update for Somerset, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset, NJ

$2.6K 67.9%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Somerset, NJ

$441 11.4%

Niigata

$234 32.3% 47% $208

Eating Out

Somerset, NJ

$296 7.7%

Niigata

$123 17% 58.5% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset, NJ

$272 7%

Niigata

$193 26.8% 28.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset, NJ

$126 3.3%

Niigata

$74 10.3% 41.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset, NJ

$82 2.1%

Niigata

$76 10.5% 7.2% $5.9

Getting Around

Somerset, NJ

$22 * 0.6%

Niigata

$23 * 3.2% 5.5% $1.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,599 in Somerset, NJ and $350 in Niigata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Somerset, NJ vs $16.00 in Niigata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $441 vs $234 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerset, NJ

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

15:04 3:04 PM

13 h ahead of Somerset, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,924

811,639

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

JPY to USD in detail →

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Somerset, NJ Niigata 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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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

Somerset, NJ vs Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset, NJ and Niigata differ by about 435% in total monthly costs ($3,865 vs $723 including rent). Niigata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,798 in Somerset, NJ and $1,085 in Niigata to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,599 in Somerset, NJ versus $350 in Niigata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Somerset, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,865 per month in Somerset, NJ versus $723 in Niigata – a 435% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $723 in Niigata versus $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Somerset, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Somerset, NJ and Niigata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Niigata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 435% less than in Somerset, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.