Cost of living comparison
compared to
Japan vs. California Cost of Living Summary
Japan is 40.8% cheaper than California.
Japan vs. California Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Japan instead of California, you would:
pay 63.8% less for restaurants
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $21.84 | $6.60 ¥1,068 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $12.33 | $5.10 ¥825 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.79 | $1.07 ¥172 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.17 | $0.76 ¥123 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.5% less for groceries
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.20 | $1.50 ¥243 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.77 | $5.07 ¥819 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.73 | $5.67 ¥917 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.14 | $2.08 ¥336 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.05 | $2.93 ¥474 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.30 | $2.14 ¥346 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.92 | $1.12 ¥181 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 | $1.69 ¥274 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.38 | $2.13 ¥345 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.50 | $1.22 ¥197 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.41 | $1.15 ¥187 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of groceries
pay 5.2% less for transportation
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.72 | $4.39 ¥710 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $63.04 | $59.14 ¥9,567 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $30,529.84 | $22,599.51 ¥4M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.43 | $25.32 ¥4,096 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of transportation
pay 60.2% less for housing
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $67.96 | $33.91 ¥5,486 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,385.40 | $543.18 ¥87,862 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $2,043.56 | $353.61 ¥57,199 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $171.94 | $118.72 ¥19,203 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of housing
pay 69.2% less for childcare
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,633.13 | $296.89 ¥48,023 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $30,339.97 | $13,159.48 ¥2M | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of childcare
pay 40.8% less for entertainment and sports
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $7.31 | $2.60 ¥421 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.58 | $3.03 ¥489 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $10.92 | $3.89 ¥628 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $68.02 | $59.54 ¥9,631 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $14.99 | $12.46 ¥2,016 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 25.8% less for clothing
California | Japan | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $56.47 | $44.79 ¥7,246 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $40.47 | $32.04 ¥5,183 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.50 | $57.37 ¥9,280 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $119.94 | $87.37 ¥14,133 | |
California vs. Japan - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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