Cost of living comparison
Japan is 11.5% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in Japan instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 44.3% less for restaurants
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.62
|
$6.87
¥1,070
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.21
|
$5.20
¥809
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.13
¥177
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.50
|
$0.90
¥140
|
|
pay 1.3% more for groceries
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.92
|
$1.58
¥247
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.34
|
$6.69
¥1,042
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.42
|
$5.53
¥861
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.76
|
$1.87
¥291
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.42
|
$3.14
¥489
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.52
|
$2.55
¥397
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.34
¥209
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.14
|
$2.07
¥322
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.48
|
$2.14
¥334
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.08
|
$1.37
¥214
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$0.98
¥152
|
|
pay 49.2% more for transportation
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.25
|
$4.79
¥746
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$41.33
|
$77.51
¥12,074
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,180.36
|
$20,322.73
¥3,165,774
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.77
|
$26.34
¥4,103
|
|
pay 31.7% less for housing
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.34
|
$36.05
¥5,615
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$970.95
|
$586.71
¥91,394
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$657.81
|
$401.57
¥62,554
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$140.85
|
$142.79
¥22,243
|
|
pay 43.0% less for childcare
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$907.34
|
$343.45
¥53,501
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,239.17
|
$12,362.75
¥1,925,807
|
|
pay 4.7% less for entertainment and sports
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.64
|
$3.03
¥472
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.27
|
$3.16
¥493
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$4.29
¥668
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.83
|
$61.62
¥9,600
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.60
|
$13.07
¥2,036
|
|
pay 7.1% less for clothing
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$43.72
|
$43.55
¥6,784
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.28
|
$32.13
¥5,004
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.53
|
$59.61
¥9,286
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.28
|
$90.53
¥14,103
|
|
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