Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Japan Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Japan

😐 Solo nomad: United States is 35.8% more expensive than Japan without rent, and 94.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United States is 44.5% more expensive than Japan without rent, and 82.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Japan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.97 $19.97
$7.10 ¥1,116
181.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.7 $74.7
$34.58 ¥5,434
115.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.40 $11.40
$5.64 ¥886
102.13%
Cappuccino
$5.37 $5.37
$3.39 ¥533
58.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.14 ¥179
130.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$0.78 ¥122
164.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.90 $5.90
$3.39 ¥532
74.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.02 $7.02
$4.07 ¥639
72.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Japan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.57 ¥247
-30.57%
White Bread (500g)
$3.55 $3.55
$1.54 ¥242
130.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$4.56 ¥717
3.73%
Eggs
$4.30 $4.30
$2.29 ¥359
87.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.01 $13.01
$12.11 ¥1,903
7.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.22 $12.22
$6.67 ¥1,049
83.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.36 $16.36
$19.14 ¥3,007
-14.52%
Apples (1kg)
$5.21 $5.21
$5.17 ¥812
0.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$2.61 ¥410
-34.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.59 $4.59
$4.67 ¥735
-1.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.97 $4.97
$4.77 ¥750
4.19%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 $2.98
$2.78 ¥437
7.19%
Onion (1kg)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.72 ¥427
11.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.34 ¥211
68.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 $2.17
$0.88 ¥139
146.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.83 $9.83
$4.12 ¥647
138.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.17 $15.17
$9.29 ¥1,460
63.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 $1.91
$2.11 ¥331
-9.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 $3.58
$2.86 ¥449
25.17%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Japan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.49 $2.49
$1.49 ¥234
67.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.1 $66.1
$58.9 ¥9,258
12.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.82 $3.82
$4.20 ¥659
-9.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 $1.78
$2.92 ¥459
-39.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.48 $29.48
$23.85 ¥3,747
23.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.22 ¥191
-25.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$23.4K ¥3.7M
26.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$17.9K ¥2.8M
46.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Japan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 $206
$172 ¥27.0K
19.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.9 $56.9
$26.48 ¥4,161
114.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.8 $72.8
$35.31 ¥5,547
106.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Japan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.23 $45.23
$58.3 ¥9,166
-22.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.84 $21.84
$15.65 ¥2,459
39.55%
Cinema Ticket
$13.79 $13.79
$13.10 ¥2,059
5.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Japan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,355 $1,355
$341 ¥53.5K
297.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K $22.6K
$13.3K ¥2.1M
70.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Japan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.3 $51.3
$48.89 ¥7,682
4.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.37 $42.37
$32.75 ¥5,145
29.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.6 $88.6
$64.1 ¥10.1K
38.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$86.4 ¥13.6K
33.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Japan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,763 $1,763
$604 ¥94.9K
191.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,432 $1,432
$414 ¥65.1K
245.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,827 $2,827
$1,408 ¥221.2K
100.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,358 $2,358
$819 ¥128.6K
188.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,391 $3,391
$6,160 ¥967.9K
-44.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,614 $2,614
$3,080 ¥484.0K
-15.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Japan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,326 $4,326
$1,975 ¥310.4K
118.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.51
1.82
257.69%

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

Last update for United States: March 3, 2026

Last update for Japan: March 1, 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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