Cost of living comparison
Japan is 27.4% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in Japan instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 53.0% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.06
|
$6.59
¥1,008
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.56
|
$4.91
¥752
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.17
|
$1.01
¥155
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.72
|
$0.80
¥122
|
|
pay 5.0% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.57
|
$1.40
¥215
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.42
|
$5.54
¥848
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.44
|
$5.14
¥786
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
|
$1.99
¥304
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.79
|
$2.58
¥395
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.93
¥295
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.64
|
$1.11
¥169
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.90
|
$1.76
¥270
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.80
¥276
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.05
|
$1.11
¥170
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$0.90
¥138
|
|
pay 29.7% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.22
|
$4.17
¥639
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.67
|
$60.62
¥9,277
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,291.62
|
$21,439.97
¥3,280,852
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.84
|
$24.44
¥3,739
|
|
pay 48.2% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.69
|
$33.46
¥5,120
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,107.08
|
$480.50
¥73,528
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$831.82
|
$321.68
¥49,225
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$140.13
|
$107.01
¥16,375
|
|
pay 61.9% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,030.74
|
$240.59
¥36,817
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$20,379.75
|
$10,805.94
¥1,653,579
|
|
pay 26.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.03
|
$2.60
¥398
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
|
$2.74
¥420
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.26
|
$3.86
¥591
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.83
|
$55.52
¥8,496
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.12
|
$11.57
¥1,770
|
|
pay 27.2% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$46.34
|
$38.65
¥5,915
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.37
|
$25.96
¥3,972
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$81.19
|
$52.99
¥8,109
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.97
|
$85.48
¥13,080
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Japan or Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.