✦ Compare
San Francisco 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.
San Francisco, CA vs Sapporo, JP at a glance — Sapporo, JP is 25% cheaper than San Francisco, CA overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $3,300/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Sapporo, JP, you'd need
$56,481 / year
Sapporo, JP is 25% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Sapporo, JP vs San Francisco, CA)
- Housing-59%
- Food & groceries+1%
- Transport-15%
- Utilities+32%
- Healthcare-8%
- Goods & services+4%
Median 1-bed rent
$3,300 /mo
San Francisco, CA overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$650 /mo
Sapporo, JP overview →
◎ How San Francisco, CA and Sapporo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| San Francisco, CA | Sapporo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 118 | 89 |
| Housing | 174 | 72 |
| Food | 94 | 95 |
| Transport | 92 | 78 |
| Utilities | 87 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 102 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $3,300/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $2,500/mo | $470/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $6,500/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $14,000 | $3,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $846 | $1,123 |
| Inexpensive meal | $22 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $98 | $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 | 150 | 15 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 45 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 220 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 88 | 74 |
| Public transport | 80 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $500/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +11 °C | -3 °C |
| July avg | +17 °C | +21 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 256 | 170 |
| Rainfall / year | 600 mm | 1,100 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to San Francisco
Tech's global capital — the highest salaries in the US, and rents to match, wrapped in fog and hills.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ 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
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 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
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 San Francisco to Sapporo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from San Francisco to Sapporo, your cost of living will be roughly 25% cheaper. Sapporo’s cost-of-living index is 89 versus 118 for San Francisco (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is San Francisco cheaper than Sapporo?
Sapporo is about 25% cheaper than San Francisco overall — its cost-of-living index is 89 versus 118 for San Francisco.
How much do you need to earn in Sapporo to live like in San Francisco?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in San Francisco is worth about $56,481 in Sapporo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, San Francisco or Sapporo?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from San Francisco
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.