Moving to United States from Japan
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Japan to United States — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Japan to United States, you would find that United States is 90.5% more expensive than Japan overall. A ¥12,000,000 salary in Japan would need to be roughly $144,000 in United States to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Japan to United States.
What does your salary buy?
¥12,000,000 → $144,000
To maintain the same standard of living in United States
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.6 times more
Groceries
pay 28.2% more
Transportation
pay 12.6% more
Housing
pay 2.9 times more
Childcare
pay 2.7 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 50.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in United States cost about 137% more than cities in Japan.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Japan to United States, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Japan to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
29.319,968
Japan
Key Indicator Comparison
How Japan and United States stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Japan performs better than United States across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
United States generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Japan leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Japan performs better than United States across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
United States performs significantly better than Japan across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
United States generally does better on employment & economy, though Japan leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Japan generally does better on family life, though United States leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2010–2013), National Tax Agency Japan (2016), Internal Revenue Service (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Tokyo | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/37°F (12°/3°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/58°F (23°/14°C) | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/72°F (30°/22°C) | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Tokyo | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/34°F (9.8°/1.2°C) | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) |
| Feb | 52°/36°F (10.9°/2.1°C) | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) |
| Apr | 67°/50°F (19.4°/9.8°C) | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) |
| May | 74°/58°F (23.6°/14.6°C) | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 79°/65°F (26.1°/18.5°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/72°F (29.9°/22.4°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 88°/74°F (31.3°/23.5°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 82°/69°F (27.5°/20.3°C) | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) |
| Oct | 72°/59°F (22.0°/14.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 62°/48°F (16.7°/8.8°C) | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.8°C) | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) |
Japan Meteorological Agency
National Weather ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Japan and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Japan passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Japan
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in United States than Japan?
Day-to-day costs in United States run about 90% higher than Japan on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to United States?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ¥12,000,000 comparable salary, that's around $36,000 in United States for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from United States?
With 38.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United States can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Japan and United States.
Is United States safe for expats?
Japan performs better than United States across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in United States is 5.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.2 in Japan. About 63% of people in United States feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in United States compared to Japan?
United States generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Japan leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people in United States, compared to 26.5 in Japan. United States scores 86 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Japan: 83).
What's the weather like in United States compared to Japan?
The average high temperature in Washington is 66°F, compared to 69°F in Tokyo. Washington receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Tokyo gets 62.9 in.
What language do they speak in United States?
The official language in United States is English. In Japan, the official language is Japanese.
