Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Japan Cost of Living Summary
United States is 95.5% more expensive than Japan overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.5 times more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 32.8% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 0.5% more in United States
- Housing
- pay 2.6 times more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 3.2 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 69.0% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 31.3% more in United States
United States vs. Japan Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Japan, you would:
pay 2.5 times more for restaurants
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.60 ¥1,068 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.10 ¥825 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.07 ¥172 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.76 ¥123 | $2.00 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.8% more for groceries
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.50 ¥243 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.07 ¥819 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.67 ¥917 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.08 ¥336 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.93 ¥474 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.14 ¥346 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.12 ¥181 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.69 ¥274 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.13 ¥345 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.22 ¥197 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.15 ¥187 | $1.38 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% more for transportation
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.39 ¥710 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $59.14 ¥9,567 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,599.51 ¥4M | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $25.32 ¥4,096 | $17.61 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 2.6 times more for housing
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $33.91 ¥5,486 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $543.18 ¥87,862 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $353.61 ¥57,199 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $118.72 ¥19,203 | $150.19 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 3.2 times more for childcare
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $296.89 ¥48,023 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,159.48 ¥2M | $23,196.46 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 69.0% more for entertainment and sports
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.60 ¥421 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.03 ¥489 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.89 ¥628 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $59.54 ¥9,631 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.46 ¥2,016 | $13.64 | |
Japan vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.3% more for clothing
Japan | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $44.79 ¥7,246 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.04 ¥5,183 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $57.37 ¥9,280 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $87.37 ¥14,133 | $112.04 | |
Japan vs. United States - 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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