✦ Compare
Nagoya vs
San Francisco
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Nagoya, JP vs San Francisco, CA at a glance — San Francisco, CA is 28% more expensive than Nagoya, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $3,300/mo versus $750/mo. Top income tax: 37% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in San Francisco, CA, you'd need
$96,063 / year
San Francisco, CA is 28% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (San Francisco, CA vs Nagoya, JP)
- Housing+112%
- Food & groceries-2%
- Transport+15%
- Utilities-21%
- Healthcare+8%
- Goods & services-5%
Median 1-bed rent
$750 /mo
Nagoya, JP overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$3,300 /mo
San Francisco, CA overview →
◎ How Nagoya, JP and San Francisco, CA compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Nagoya, JP | San Francisco, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 92 | 118 |
| Housing | 82 | 174 |
| Food | 96 | 94 |
| Transport | 80 | 92 |
| Utilities | 110 | 87 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 92 |
| Goods & services | 103 | 98 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $750/mo | $3,300/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $540/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $6,500/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $14,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,083 | $846 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $22 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $98 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $1,257/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 | $90,027 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2% | — |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 20 | 150 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC-8 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 82 | 45 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 76 | 88 |
| Public transport | 84 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $500/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 79 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | +11 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +17 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 256 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,500 mm | 600 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Nagoya
Japan's industrial powerhouse (Toyota's home turf) and an underrated, spacious city between Tokyo and Osaka. It keeps Japan's safety, transit and reliability while running noticeably cheaper than either megacity.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 5°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Sakae · Osu · Meieki · Kanayama
Good to know before you move to San Francisco
Tech's global capital — the highest salaries in the US, and rents to match, wrapped in fog and hills.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 45/100
- Climate
- ❄ 11°C · ☀ 17°C · 256 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Mission · SoMa · Hayes Valley
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
Plan your move to San Francisco
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
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Nagoya to San Francisco: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Nagoya to San Francisco, your cost of living will be roughly 28% more expensive. San Francisco’s cost-of-living index is 118 versus 92 for Nagoya (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Nagoya cheaper than San Francisco?
San Francisco is about 28% more expensive than Nagoya overall — its cost-of-living index is 118 versus 92 for Nagoya.
How much do you need to earn in San Francisco to live like in Nagoya?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Nagoya is worth about $96,063 in San Francisco. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Nagoya or San Francisco?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Nagoya
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.