Cost of living comparison
compared to
Japan vs. China Cost of Living Summary
Japan is 86.2% more expensive than China overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1 times more in Japan
- Groceries
-
pay 2.2 times more in Japan
- Transportation
-
pay 2.9 times more in Japan
- Housing
-
pay 2.4 times more in Japan
- Childcare
-
pay 19.5% less in Japan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.1% more in Japan
- Clothing
-
pay 0.4% more in Japan
The cost of transportation, housing, groceries, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Japan are more expensive than in China. Notably, transportation, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Japan.
Japan vs. China Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Japan instead of China, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.90
CN¥20.50
|
$6.60
¥1,031
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.02
CN¥35.49
|
$5.10
¥796
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.47
CN¥3.36
|
$1.07
¥166
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.28
CN¥1.96
|
$0.76
¥119
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.2 times more for groceries
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.63
CN¥11.52
|
$1.50
¥234
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.32
CN¥44.71
|
$5.07
¥791
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
CN¥47.44
|
$5.67
¥885
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.56
CN¥11.05
|
$2.08
¥324
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.52
CN¥10.78
|
$2.93
¥457
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.74
CN¥5.25
|
$2.14
¥334
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.55
CN¥3.86
|
$1.12
¥175
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.62
CN¥4.41
|
$1.69
¥264
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
CN¥3.57
|
$2.13
¥333
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.30
CN¥2.13
|
$1.22
¥190
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.39
CN¥2.79
|
$1.15
¥180
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of groceries
pay 2.9 times more for transportation
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
CN¥30.68
|
$4.39
¥686
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.32
CN¥143.78
|
$59.14
¥9,236
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,143.98
CN¥135,449.43
|
$22,599.51
¥3,529,252
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.94
CN¥27.89
|
$25.32
¥3,955
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of transportation
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.18
CN¥79.08
|
$33.91
¥5,296
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$304.90
CN¥2,157.22
|
$543.18
¥84,826
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$195.65
CN¥1,384.25
|
$353.61
¥55,222
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$41.04
CN¥290.39
|
$118.72
¥18,539
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of housing
pay 19.5% less for childcare
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$390.25
CN¥2,761.13
|
$296.89
¥46,363
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,493.57
CN¥109,621.66
|
$13,159.48
¥2,055,050
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of childcare
pay 65.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.04
CN¥7.37
|
$2.60
¥407
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.84
CN¥20.07
|
$3.03
¥473
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.36
CN¥23.77
|
$3.89
¥607
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.13
CN¥290.99
|
$59.54
¥9,298
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.98
CN¥42.33
|
$12.46
¥1,946
|
|
China vs. Japan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.4% more for clothing
|
China
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.93
CN¥324.95
|
$44.79
¥6,995
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.93
CN¥218.85
|
$32.04
¥5,003
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$71.26
CN¥504.18
|
$57.37
¥8,959
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.88
CN¥515.65
|
$87.37
¥13,644
|
|
China 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: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Japan or China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.