Why My Family's Cost of Living is Cheaper in Tokyo

did you know its 49% more affordable in tokyo than in new york city?

Hi there, can you make an update for 2024?

How about now? Tokyo costs have gone up insanely, but I guess they have in Canada too. But if you ignore the obvious huge impact of exchange rates, how about now? Of course you know that almost half of one parent families can’t afford to feed their kids three meals a day.

2023 still and continue to be cheaper costs of living while experiencing high quality lifestyle and superb customer service🙋💯🎶🙏🙆

Crying while watching this in NYC😭

what do you do for a living?

American here: I just watched this video after paying $500 for a virtual visit with a specialist just so he could renew my prescription for a $200 medicine. This country is a scam

The health care system in Japan is very similar to the German one. We usually don't pay for doctor's visits but we pay fees for prescriptions and physiotherapy, etc. up until a maximum deending on your income.

4 years in and things only got worse in Canada.

What’s up Broski 🦋!.

This is such a good video

I would really like to live here at some point and transfer as a software engineer. Although the pay is low compared to what you can make in the us. Thinking I should just save as much as I can here and then move when I have a good amount of money saved up

I live in the Bay Area. The cost of living is all of it.

tokyo is china

Fun details about Japanese medical care: cancer, for example, is not covered by insurance at all.

Average housing in Tokyo is way smaller than 100 sqm.

Me watching health insurance costs in Germany: laughs

I believe that wages are quite low too in Japan right? If Im not mistaken a fresh grad only makes something like $1800 on average at a small firm and probably $3000 if you work at a big company. Wherelse if you work lets say in New York fresh grad can easily get 4-5k per month, if you work at big companies, you easily can get 6-7k, maybe even more. So I guess on the outside it looks like Japan is cheaper, but if you take into consideration of income to cost of living ratio. It might be pretty much the same. I am not sure about Canada though.

Lunch at izakaya for 500 yen

Oh boy! CHARTS! 📊💹

Excellent video!

After moving to Hokkaido from Vancouver (for the exact same reasons you made your move - wife wanted to be closer to her family and I happened to need a shift) we find that our expenses have fallen >70%. A big part is lifestyle changes.
-We still have a vehicle here, since we live in the Kushiro area. However, we purchased outright vs. lease in Canada. We drove a Honda Civic in Canada, which happens to be significantly more expensive in Japan! Whaaat? Now we drive a Honda Fit. Good enough for me. Speed limits are pretty low here.
- Rent is ¥40,000 here vs $1700 CAD in Vancouver. Apartment size is almost the same.
- Heat is about ¥9,000/mo here in the winter vs $250/mo in Vancouver. We use the kotatsu a lot! And in Vancouver we had very large windows in the condo that just bled heat like crazy.
- Electricity is about ¥7,000 vs $50.
- Food is about the same. Vegetables (¥100 cabbage?!) and chicken (¥350/kg) are way cheaper, but fruit and staples are more expensive.
- Health care is about the same.
- Yochien is ¥0 in our town, vs $1200 for a licensed daycare in Vancouver.
- Gasoline... well in Vancouver it would vary quite a bit, but it's still a tiny bit cheaper there. Not as much as you would expect though! ¥153/liter last week and in Vancouver it's $1.56/liter.
- Dining out is cheaper here.
- Alcohol is mostly cheaper here, but not by much.
- Cell phone! ¥1,200/mo with LINEMO w/3 GB vs $50/mo for Koodo w/3 GB.
- Internet is pretty close. ¥5,200/mo here for 250 Mbps (claimed 1 Gbps) fiber vs $55/mo for 75 Mbps cable in Canada.
- Clothing is cheaper here, in my experience. Unless you like North Face or other brands that are weirdly too popular in Japan.

I'm not going to watch the video, but good for you.

I live in Australia. New south Wales .n.s.w
This state is most expansive in most ...the cost of meatfruit and vegetabless have gone uo ..tou can pay 18 to 20 doallars for grapes 1kg .
8 dollars for wasked potatoes 2kg
Abd meat sat a steak or lamb 20 to 30 dollars a try .and its in a super market ,individualsyores are most ecpandsive...milk varies and bread does ..id love to experience Japan. Im small i walk to work .our transport is nothing special. Japanese are so organized.

you are speaking English with Japanese intonation. :)

After living in Paris, I feel Tokyo is very expensive. Fruits and many veggies cost minimum 100yen/piece (mango cost 400yen VS 1.5 euros, one apple is 150 yen VS 2 euros per kilo, etc). Shinkansen tickets are about 10,000 yen one way VS 10-20 euros in France to travel similar distance, and let’s not forget that even public high schools in Japan cost as they’re not considered as mandatory 😔

Well, if you're moving to Japan from the United States, the cost of medical drops drastically. Our medical industry is extortionally overpriced.

It’s more to live in Perth, Australia

You mean "lower cost of living"

460€/month of single room for student in Uppsala 🤭

How did you managed to move to Japan being self employed

We’ll thanks to joe Biden the cost of living in America Justina went up about 10%

I live in Vancouver and I find it that anywhere is cheaper than in here. 🤯

cheaper -> use smaller house, take public transport, use less utility power and im out

Canada is insanely expensive. I used to live in Germany and moved to Canada. My quality of life decreased after since food, housing and healthcare cost (despite generally free except dental and drugs coverage) is way higher. I was able to live on 200€ for two people per months for food. In Canada it's 400 and I don't even buy the products I want. In Canada university and day care is expensive too. In Germany that's all for free or very low cost (tuition 200€).
Canadians are okay with that mostly because they don't know better.

Let me attempt to give a rapid overview of what is less expensive in rural Japan in comparison with rip-off Britain. 
New/retail except where stated
-Housing (rent/buy), suburban/rural locations. Decades old houses go for a song, but you can’t sell the on 
-Automobiles, especially at auction (scrapping is FoC)
-Food, especially Japanese food
-Alcoholic beverage, especially imported spirits
-DIY electrical tools
-Electrical appliances, often
-Clothes, 100 yen stores and recycle shops where many garments are brand new but sold as S/H
-Public transport, applies particularly to suburban/urban
-Petrol/diesel motor fuel
-Heath, medicine (dentist doctor) if covered by Japan national health  
-Heating (winter) Logs are FoC but you have to collect/cut. Wood-burning stove is a must
Advise if you want more details. 
Some artisan skills a definite plus. Ditto Japanese spouse
Jack, the Japan Alps Brit 39 years and counting

I think comment section gives me more information than the video 😅

I really think medical insurance system is one reason why people in Japan are being seen as kinda polite ones. same goes to those in Canada :)

I am watching from Honolulu. This is why comparing cost of living between different cities let alone a different country is very hard. You may pay a different price but the goods and services you receive will never be exactly at par. It can be good or bad depending on your preference.

3 years have passed and that backstabbed still hurts.

What websites do you recommend for those looking to buy a home in Japan?

As of October, 2021, ambulances are still free of charge in Japan. Back in 2007, I had to pay $5,000 for an ambulance ride to a hospital and for an overnight stay. I needed help for my nervous breakdown that happened at an airport in Washington State. No surgeries or ER treatment.

>Vancouver

There's your problem.

Vancouver is basically a wealthy Chinese country club now. Unrealistic for most all people.

Lived in Vancouver, Canada…used to live in Tokyo, Japan as a international student..
What is said is all true😂😂😂
But if anyone is thinking about living in japan, life in japan is very different from western way of living. Like manner, working hours, etc.

First awesome thing: Finally a person showing international SI units next to the other ones :)

The problems of most big cities is Yes we can afford basic necessities.... But not for really2 enjoy all the pleasures and facilities.... The ease of transportation you mean, of course, hasn't been told about the difficulties.... Tokyo, Jakarta, just the same, you have to suffer from being squeezed in a commuter train every single day, not including mentioning the fate of pregnant women, the elderly, and the disabled... We also haven't discussed how stressed most of the city's residents are with very long working hours... We know how the work culture of Japanese companies....

They have no zoning and especially no setbacks, verges and narrow roads. Makes housing more affordable. Dont think the politicians are trying to help you when they stop developers they are just making housing more expensive.