Cost of living comparison
Japan is 27.8% cheaper than Iowa.
If you lived in Japan instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 54.9% less for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$6.44
¥994
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.86
|
$4.94
¥763
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$0.97
¥150
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
|
$0.73
¥113
|
|
pay 4.7% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.75
|
$1.52
¥235
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.26
|
$5.72
¥883
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$5.46
¥842
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.97
|
$2.02
¥311
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$2.73
¥421
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$2.17
¥336
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$1.02
¥158
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.64
¥253
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$2.04
¥314
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$1.26
¥195
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.08
¥167
|
|
pay 27.7% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$4.22
¥652
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.60
|
$57.82
¥8,923
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,209.92
|
$22,042.19
¥3,401,882
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$25.42
¥3,924
|
|
pay 46.9% less for housing
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.83
|
$31.09
¥4,798
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,149.79
|
$500.38
¥77,226
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$848.38
|
$325.42
¥50,223
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.52
|
$113.04
¥17,446
|
|
pay 57.1% less for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,043.98
|
$288.10
¥44,464
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,039.50
|
$11,095.30
¥1,712,394
|
|
pay 31.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.95
|
$2.71
¥418
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$2.78
¥429
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.68
|
$3.98
¥615
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.12
|
$57.72
¥8,908
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.83
|
$11.97
¥1,848
|
|
pay 27.2% less for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Japan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.44
|
$40.54
¥6,257
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.50
|
$26.82
¥4,139
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.35
|
$54.08
¥8,346
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.02
|
$81.66
¥12,604
|
|
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