✦ Compare
Nagoya vs
Zurich
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 Zurich, CH at a glance — Zurich, CH is 83% more expensive than Nagoya, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $2,500/mo versus $750/mo. Top income tax: 40% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Zurich, CH, you'd need
$137,442 / year
Zurich, CH is 83% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Zurich, CH vs Nagoya, JP)
- Housing+150%
- Food & groceries+67%
- Transport+63%
- Utilities+18%
- Healthcare+76%
- Goods & services+63%
◎ How Nagoya, JP and Zurich, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Nagoya, JP | Zurich, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 92 | 169 |
| Housing | 82 | 205 |
| Food | 96 | 160 |
| Transport | 80 | 130 |
| Utilities | 110 | 130 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 150 |
| Goods & services | 103 | 168 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $750/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $540/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,000 | $18,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,083 | $591 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $30 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 8.1% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 | $114,769 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2% | 0.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | High |
| Coworking spaces | 20 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 90 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 25 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 76 | 85 |
| Public transport | 84 | 95 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 75 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $350/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +5 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 65 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,500 mm | 1,080 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Switzerland. 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 Zurich
The world's benchmark for expensive — but salaries are sky-high, mandatory health insurance aside, and quality of life is unmatched.
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 18°C · 65 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreis 4 · Kreis 5 · Seefeld
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 Zurich
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 Nagoya to Zurich: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Nagoya to Zurich, your cost of living will be roughly 83% more expensive. Zurich’s cost-of-living index is 169 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 Zurich?
Zurich is about 83% more expensive than Nagoya overall — its cost-of-living index is 169 versus 92 for Nagoya.
How much do you need to earn in Zurich to live like in Nagoya?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Nagoya is worth about $137,442 in Zurich. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Nagoya or Zurich?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Nagoya
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.