Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Cruz vs. Kyoto Cost of Living Summary
Santa Cruz is 2.9 times more expensive than Kyoto.
- Restaurants
- pay 3.0 times more in Santa Cruz
- Groceries
- pay 87.9% more in Santa Cruz
- Transportation
- pay 0.8% less in Santa Cruz
- Housing
- pay 4.7 times more in Santa Cruz
- Childcare
- pay 6.7 times more in Santa Cruz
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 74.5% more in Santa Cruz
- Clothing
- pay 48.7% more in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz vs. Kyoto Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Cruz instead of Kyoto, you would:
pay 3.0 times more for restaurants
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $10.02 ¥1,621 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.35 ¥865 | $15.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.92 ¥150 | $2.93 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.74 ¥120 | $2.67 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of restaurants
pay 87.9% more for groceries
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.70 ¥275 | $5.27 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.57 ¥739 | $10.35 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.67 ¥1,080 | $5.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.23 ¥360 | $6.50 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.09 ¥500 | $6.75 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.42 ¥392 | $3.53 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.11 ¥180 | $1.00 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.83 ¥458 | $2.90 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.72 ¥278 | $2.80 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.71 ¥114 | $2.04 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.01 ¥163 | $1.55 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of groceries
pay 0.8% less for transportation
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.43 ¥717 | $4.79 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $66.82 ¥10,809 | $65.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,332.63 ¥4M | $23,894.01 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $26.86 ¥4,345 | $22.70 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of transportation
pay 4.7 times more for housing
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $32.58 ¥5,269 | $76.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $570.06 ¥92,210 | $2,989.17 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $318.25 ¥51,479 | $2,639.80 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $82.56 ¥13,354 | $244.30 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of housing
pay 6.7 times more for childcare
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $434.36 ¥70,259 | $2,738.89 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $5,345.93 ¥865K | $37,770.00 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of childcare
pay 74.5% more for entertainment and sports
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $3.34 ¥540 | $7.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.20 ¥517 | $5.33 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.01 ¥649 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $55.73 ¥9,015 | $60.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.70 ¥2,054 | $14.50 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 48.7% more for clothing
Kyoto | Santa Cruz | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $44.33 ¥7,170 | $55.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $30.91 ¥4,999 | $56.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $50.12 ¥8,107 | $80.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $88.54 ¥14,322 | $115.00 | |
Kyoto vs. Santa Cruz - 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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