Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Japan: $1,297 a month against $2,727 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
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Japan Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,727

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Japan

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

A single person spends $2,727 per month in the United States vs $1,297 in Japan, rent included.

United States $2,727
Japan $1,297

A couple spends around $4,009 per month in the United States vs $1,998 in Japan, rent included.

United States $4,009
Japan $1,998

A family of three spends $5,291 per month in the United States vs $2,699 in Japan, rent included.

United States $5,291
Japan $2,699

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($977–$5,215) than in Japan ($724–$1,648), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 110% higher than in Japan on average.

The United States sits 101% above the global median, while Japan is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 $19.73

$6.39 ¥1,010

208.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$32.17 ¥5,082

151.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.17 ¥816

131.72%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.07 ¥486

82.08%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.16 ¥183

139.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.79 ¥125

165.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.24 ¥512

84.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.70 ¥585

114.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.48 ¥233

-30.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.44 ¥228

160.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$4.77 ¥754

-6.50%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$2.09 ¥331

107.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.54 ¥1,823

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$6.05 ¥956

102.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$17.21 ¥2,718

0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$4.80 ¥758

10.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.41 ¥380

-30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$4.11 ¥649

5.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$4.40 ¥695

14.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.74 ¥433

2.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.58 ¥408

18.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.26 ¥199

76.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.82 ¥130

186.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 $10.92

$3.99 ¥630

173.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$7.35 ¥1,161

102.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.92 ¥303

9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.59 ¥409

39.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.40 ¥222

75.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 $65.7

$58.4 ¥9,225

12.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.68 ¥582

-2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$3.21 ¥507

-40.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.51 $29.51

$19.82 ¥3,131

48.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.06 ¥168

-3.77%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

30.61%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

64.54%

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

$221 $221

$151 ¥23.9K

46.26%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$24.37 ¥3,851

151.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$32.59 ¥5,149

124.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 $44.89

$52.1 ¥8,228

-13.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 $22.65

$18.37 ¥2,903

23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$12.39 ¥1,957

22.36%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$529 ¥83.7K

177.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$11.8K ¥1.9M

112.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$46.12 ¥7,287

16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 $43.76

$29.36 ¥4,639

49.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$61.7 ¥9,750

49.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$77.2 ¥12.2K

47.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$565 ¥89.3K

192.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$389 ¥61.4K

242.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 $2,669

$1,321 ¥208.8K

101.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$761 ¥120.3K

189.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,054 $3,054

$5,415 ¥855.5K

-43.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,522 $2,522

$2,746 ¥433.8K

-8.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$2,068 ¥326.6K

112.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

2.13

207.51%

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

Last update for the United States: October 18, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.9%

Japan

$389 30% 70.8% $943

Groceries & Markets

United States

$413 15.1%

Japan

$308 23.7% 25.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Japan

$208 16% 41.5% $147

Eating Out

United States

$326 12%

Japan

$135 10.4% 58.6% $191

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Japan

$96 7.4% 29.4% $40

Getting Around

United States

$89 3.3%

Japan

$84 6.5% 5.5% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Japan

$77 5.9% 2.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,612 in the United States vs $522 in Japan. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,743 in Washington, DC and $1,288 in Tokyo.

Average salary: $4,548 in the United States vs $1,926 in Japan. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 209% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 127% more in the United States.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in Japan.

Salaries are 136% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

19:38 7:38 PM

13 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

125,440,000

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

JPY to USD in detail →

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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

United States vs Japan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Japan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 110% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,612 versus $522 in Japan.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Japan, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Japan is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.