Cost of living and expenses in Japan

What are the costs of living, how much do you have to spend on fees and expenses in Japan? What is the cost of a mortgage, what are the average earnings in Japan, and how much do you have to spend on clothes or a flat in the centre or on the outskirts of the city?
Below you will read about the expenses, fees, rental prices, how much you have to pay for clothes or shoes and the cost of living in Japan (The last update: 4 days ago)

Currency in Japan Japanese yen (JPY ¥). For 10 US dollars you can get 1.55 thousand Japanese yen. For 100 US dollars you can get 15.5 thousand Japanese yen. And the other way around: For 100 Japanese yen you can get 0.645 US dollars.


See also how prices have changed in previous years: Price changes in previous years in Japan


What are the different prices in the cities in Japan? Look here: Prices in cities in Japan

Prices: Kyoto   Osaka   Sapporo   Sendai   Tokyo   Yokohama   Chiba   Kawasaki   Nara   Hiroshima  


Price fees $159 ($97 - $303)

fees

$159 ($97 - $303)
23% is less expensive than in United States

Price internet $32 ($26 - $45)

internet

$32 ($26 - $45)
by half less than in United States

Price jeans $41 ($19.3 - $64)

jeans

$41 ($19.3 - $64)
22% is less expensive than in United States

Price average earnings $2.15K

average earnings

$2.15K
by half less than in United States

Price renting a small apartment in the center $555 ($387 - $1.16K)

renting a small apartment in the center

$555 ($387 - $1.16K)
69% is less expensive than in United States

Price renting a large apartment outside the center $736 ($484 - $1.61K)

renting a large apartment outside the center

$736 ($484 - $1.61K)
70% is less expensive than in United States

The cost of living in Japan:

  1. One-way Ticket (Local Transport) $1.4 (¥220)
  2. Monthly Pass (Regular Price) $52 (¥8K)
  3. Gasoline (1 liter) $1.1 (¥170)
  4. Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW (or equivalent new car) $21.6K (¥3.34M)
  5. Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre $555 (¥86.1K)
  6. Apartment (1 bedroom) outside of centre $368 (¥57.1K)
  7. Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre $1.18K (¥183K)
  8. Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of centre $736 (¥114K)
  9. Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment $159 (¥24.7K)
  10. Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) $32 (¥4.97K)
  11. numb_34 $25 (¥3.91K)
  12. 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) $41 (¥6.37K)
  13. 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M,...) $29 (¥4.5K)
  14. 1 pair of Nike running shoes or similar $54 (¥8.45K)
  15. 1 pair of men's leather shoes $76 (¥11.7K)
  16. Toyota Corolla 1.6l, 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) $16K (¥2.49M)
  17. Preschool (or Kindergarten), Private, Monthly for 1 Child $343 (¥53.2K)
  18. Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center $5.55K (¥861K)
  19. International Primary School, Annually for 1 Child $12K (¥1.87M)
  20. Price per square meter for an apartment outside of city centre $3.36K (¥521K)
  21. Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) $2.15K (¥333K)
  22. Mortgage annual interest rate in percentages (%) 1.8%
  23. Taxi starting fare (normal tariff) $3.6 (¥560)
  24. Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) $2.6 (¥400)
  25. Taxi 1 hour waiting (normal tariff) $22 (¥3.45K)
source: hikersbay.com & numbeo.com

Price changes in previous years in Japan

Price changes in One Square Meter Of An Apartment In The Center over the years: 2010: $3.58K(¥555K), 2011: $11.3K(¥1.75M), 2012: $2.65K(¥410K), 2013: $3.65K(¥567K), 2014: $4.54K(¥703K), 2015: $11.5K(¥1.79M), 2016: $6.81K(¥1.06M), 2017: $5.69K(¥882K), and 2018: $6.3K(¥977K)

Japan price changes: Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center 2010-2018
Japan price changes Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center hikersbay.com

Have earnings increased in Japan?
See the average salary in previous years in 2010: $1.72K(¥267K), 2011: $1.56K(¥242K), 2012: $1.71K(¥265K), 2013: $1.92K(¥298K), 2014: $1.65K(¥256K), 2015: $1.87K(¥290K), 2016: $1.82K(¥282K), 2017: $1.93K(¥299K), and 2018: $1.9K(¥295K)

Japan price changes: Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2010-2018
Japan price changes Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) hikersbay.com

Price changes in Fees over the years: 2010: $86(¥13.3K), 2011: $114(¥17.6K), 2012: $94(¥14.6K), 2013: $130(¥20.2K), 2014: $149(¥23.1K), 2015: $117(¥18.2K), 2016: $128(¥19.9K), 2017: $126(¥19.5K), and 2018: $132(¥20.4K)

Japan price changes: Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment 2010-2018
Japan price changes Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment hikersbay.com

Price changes in Internet over the years: 2010: $14.6(¥2.27K), 2011: $26(¥4.07K), 2012: $24(¥3.68K), 2013: $24(¥3.79K), 2014: $25(¥3.84K), 2015: $27(¥4.26K), 2016: $26(¥4.07K), 2017: $27(¥4.16K), and 2018: $30(¥4.67K)

Japan price changes: Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) 2010-2018
Japan price changes Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) hikersbay.com

Have prices changed in clothing stores in Japan in recent years?
For example, this is how the prices of jeans have changed in 2010: $54(¥8.3K), 2011: $46(¥7.07K), 2012: $57(¥8.85K), 2013: $51(¥7.93K), 2014: $51(¥7.98K), 2015: $51(¥7.98K), 2016: $45(¥6.99K), 2017: $45(¥6.94K), and 2018: $43(¥6.66K)

Japan price changes: 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) 2010-2018
Japan price changes 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) hikersbay.com

Do you want to learn more about different prices? See the following comparison:

Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Mirinda

$0.99 ($0.71 - $1.9)
by half less than in United States

local beer

$2.9 ($1.6 - $5)
by half less than in United States

bananas

$2.2 ($1.3 - $5.8)
31% more than in United States

Burger King or a similar bar

$4.8 ($4.2 - $5.8)
by half less than in United States

internet

$32 ($26 - $45)
by half less than in United States

bread

$1.5 ($0.77 - $3.2)
by half less than in United States