pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
| California | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $6.87 ¥993 | $19.70 | +186.8% |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.20 ¥751 | $10.02 | +92.9% |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.13 ¥164 | $2.59 | +128.7% |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.90 ¥130 | $2.01 | +123.0% |
| Average | +132.9% |
Japan vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 29.5% more for groceries
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.58 ¥229 | $3.79 | +139.4% |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.69 ¥968 | $6.34 | -5.2% |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $5.53 ¥799 | $4.47 | -19.1% |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.87 ¥270 | $4.63 | +147.8% |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.14 ¥454 | $6.05 | +92.5% |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.55 ¥368 | $2.14 | -15.8% |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.34 ¥194 | $0.86 | -36.0% |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.07 ¥299 | $1.77 | -14.4% |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.14 ¥310 | $2.23 | +4.3% |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.37 ¥199 | $1.42 | +3.7% |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.98 ¥141 | $1.24 | +27.3% |
| Average | +29.5% |
pay 4.5% less for transportation
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.79 ¥693 | $4.89 | +2.2% |
| Monthly public transit pass | $77.51 ¥11,210 | $68.08 | -12.2% |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $20,322.73 ¥2,939,379 | $25,571.45 | +25.8% |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $26.34 ¥3,810 | $17.49 | -33.6% |
| Average | -4.5% |
Japan vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 2.9 times more for housing
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $36.05 ¥5,213 | $70.94 | +96.8% |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $586.71 ¥84,858 | $2,161.66 | +268.4% |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $401.57 ¥58,081 | $1,891.75 | +371.1% |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $142.79 ¥20,652 | $151.84 | +6.3% |
| Average | +185.6% |
Japan vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 2.8 times more for childcare
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $343.45 ¥49,675 | $1,413.75 | +311.6% |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $12,362.75 ¥1,788,087 | $18,865.17 | +52.6% |
| Average | +182.1% |
Japan vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 56.7% more for entertainment and sports
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $3.03 ¥439 | $6.51 | +114.8% |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.16 ¥458 | $4.78 | +51.1% |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.29 ¥621 | $9.86 | +129.7% |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $61.62 ¥8,913 | $52.94 | -14.1% |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.07 ¥1,891 | $13.37 | +2.2% |
| Average | +56.7% |
Japan vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 24.1% more for clothing
| Japan | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $43.55 ¥6,298 | $49.43 | +13.5% |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.13 ¥4,647 | $38.84 | +20.9% |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $59.61 ¥8,622 | $81.58 | +36.8% |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $90.53 ¥13,094 | $113.48 | +25.3% |
| Average | +24.1% |
Japan vs. California - 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: January 2024
