Cost of living comparison
Japan is 29.2% cheaper than California.
If you lived in Japan instead of California, you would:
pay 56.2% less for restaurants
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.70
|
$6.87
¥1,086
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.02
|
$5.20
¥821
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$1.13
¥179
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
|
$0.90
¥143
|
|
pay 6.7% less for groceries
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$1.58
¥251
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.34
|
$6.69
¥1,058
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.47
|
$5.53
¥874
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.63
|
$1.87
¥295
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.05
|
$3.14
¥497
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.14
|
$2.55
¥403
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.86
|
$1.34
¥212
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$2.07
¥327
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$2.14
¥338
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.37
¥217
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$0.98
¥154
|
|
pay 10.5% more for transportation
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$4.79
¥757
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$68.08
|
$77.51
¥12,254
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,571.45
|
$20,322.73
¥3,212,923
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.49
|
$26.34
¥4,164
|
|
pay 51.7% less for housing
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.94
|
$36.05
¥5,699
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,161.66
|
$586.71
¥92,755
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,891.75
|
$401.57
¥63,486
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.84
|
$142.79
¥22,574
|
|
pay 55.1% less for childcare
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,413.75
|
$343.45
¥54,298
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,865.17
|
$12,362.75
¥1,954,489
|
|
pay 25.9% less for entertainment and sports
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.51
|
$3.03
¥479
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.78
|
$3.16
¥500
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.86
|
$4.29
¥678
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.94
|
$61.62
¥9,743
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.37
|
$13.07
¥2,067
|
|
pay 19.1% less for clothing
California
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.43
|
$43.55
¥6,885
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$38.84
|
$32.13
¥5,079
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.58
|
$59.61
¥9,425
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$113.48
|
$90.53
¥14,313
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Japan or California. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.