✦ Compare
Chicago vs
Sapporo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Chicago, IL vs Sapporo, JP at a glance — Sapporo, JP is 13% cheaper than Chicago, IL overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $1,900/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Sapporo, JP, you'd need
$65,020 / year
Sapporo, JP is 13% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Sapporo, JP vs Chicago, IL)
- Housing-38%
- Food & groceries0%
- Transport-23%
- Utilities+28%
- Healthcare-13%
- Goods & services+4%
◎ How Chicago, IL and Sapporo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chicago, IL | Sapporo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 89 |
| Housing | 116 | 72 |
| Food | 95 | 95 |
| Transport | 101 | 78 |
| Utilities | 90 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 102 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,450/mo | $470/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,600/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $3,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $973 | $1,123 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $105 | $55 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Native | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 15 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 48 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 74 |
| Public transport | 78 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -4 °C | -3 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +21 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 189 | 170 |
| Rainfall / year | 950 mm | 1,100 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
Good to know before you move to Sapporo
The spacious, grid-planned capital of Hokkaido — famous for snow, ramen, beer and easy access to world-class skiing. It keeps Japan's safety and reliability at noticeably lower rents than Tokyo or Osaka, with long, cold winters the main trade-off.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ -3°C · ☀ 21°C · 170 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Chuo · Susukino · Odori · Maruyama
Plan your move to Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Sapporo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chicago to Sapporo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chicago to Sapporo, your cost of living will be roughly 13% cheaper. Sapporo’s cost-of-living index is 89 versus 103 for Chicago (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chicago cheaper than Sapporo?
Sapporo is about 13% cheaper than Chicago overall — its cost-of-living index is 89 versus 103 for Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Sapporo to live like in Chicago?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chicago is worth about $65,020 in Sapporo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chicago or Sapporo?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Chicago
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.