✦ Compare
Cologne vs
Nagoya
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Cologne, DE vs Nagoya, JP at a glance — Nagoya, JP is 13% cheaper than Cologne, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $750/mo versus $1,050/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Nagoya, JP, you'd need
$65,600 / year
Nagoya, JP is 13% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Nagoya, JP vs Cologne, DE)
- Housing-27%
- Food & groceries-9%
- Transport-5%
- Utilities-13%
- Healthcare-11%
- Goods & services-2%
◎ How Cologne, DE and Nagoya, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Cologne, DE | Nagoya, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 106 | 92 |
| Housing | 112 | 82 |
| Food | 105 | 96 |
| Transport | 84 | 80 |
| Utilities | 126 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 105 | 103 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,050/mo | $750/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $780/mo | $540/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,000/mo | $1,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $5,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $947 | $1,083 |
| Inexpensive meal | $14 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $115 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | High | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 35 | 20 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 66 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 150 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 76 |
| Public transport | 80 | 84 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +3 °C | +5 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 105 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 800 mm | 1,500 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany 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 Cologne
An easy-going media and culture city on the Rhine, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and famous for carnival and a warm, open crowd. More affordable and less corporate than Munich or Frankfurt, with a lively creative and startup scene.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 19°C · 105 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Ehrenfeld · Belgisches Viertel · Südstadt · Nippes
Good to know before you move to Nagoya
Japan's industrial powerhouse (Toyota's home turf) and an underrated, spacious city between Tokyo and Osaka. It keeps Japan's safety, transit and reliability while running noticeably cheaper than either megacity.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sakae · Osu · Meieki · Kanayama
Plan your move to Cologne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Nagoya
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 Cologne to Nagoya: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Cologne to Nagoya, your cost of living will be roughly 13% cheaper. Nagoya’s cost-of-living index is 92 versus 106 for Cologne (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Cologne cheaper than Nagoya?
Nagoya is about 13% cheaper than Cologne overall — its cost-of-living index is 92 versus 106 for Cologne.
How much do you need to earn in Nagoya to live like in Cologne?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Cologne is worth about $65,600 in Nagoya. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Cologne or Nagoya?
Germany has the lower top income-tax rate — 45% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Cologne
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.