Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kobe vs. Lawrence Cost of Living Summary

Kobe is 31.6% cheaper than Lawrence.

Restaurants
pay 54.3% less in Kobe
Groceries
pay 7.8% more in Kobe
Transportation
pay 14.7% more in Kobe
Housing
pay 46.6% less in Kobe
Childcare
pay 67.6% less in Kobe
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.9% less in Kobe
Clothing
pay 30.5% less in Kobe

The cost of transportation and groceries in Kobe are more expensive than in Lawrence. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Kobe.

Kobe vs. Lawrence Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kobe instead of Lawrence, you would:

pay 54.3% less for restaurants

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.00
 
$7.59
¥1,196
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.00
 
$4.87
¥768
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.55
 
$1.17
¥184

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pay 7.8% more for groceries

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Bread
1 loaf
$3.15
 
$1.29
¥203
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.64
 
$6.33
¥997
Milk (1 gallon) $3.30
 
$5.78
¥911

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pay 14.7% more for transportation

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.42
 
$4.10
¥646
Monthly public transit pass ?? $63.27
¥9,969
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $22,349.00
 
$20,061.49
¥3M

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pay 46.6% less for housing

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$64.75
 
$31.16
¥4,910
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,187.50
 
$687.49
¥108K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $924.25
 
$463.95
¥73,109

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pay 67.6% less for childcare

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $980.50
 
$322.65
¥50,844
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $19,239.33
 
$6,149.41
¥969K

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pay 35.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.00
 
$2.06
¥325
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.09
 
$2.34
¥369
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.00
 
$3.48
¥548

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pay 30.5% less for clothing

 
Lawrence
Kobe
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$51.67
 
$50.30
¥7,926
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$39.56
 
$25.31
¥3,988
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$80.00
 
$45.97
¥7,244

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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