Shocking Prices in Japan vs USA
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So I recently traveled to the US with my family from Japan, and I was a bit stunned on how much things cost in America compared to Japan. Granted, I was somewhat expecting it given the the current exchange rate between the US dollar and Japanese yen at the time, but when I was actually there and saw the prices first hand, it really hit me. I still remember the days when everything in Japan was expensive and the US was cheap. So in the video, I wanted to share with all of you my own personal experience on how much thighs costs in the US vs Japan…I think you may be surprised as me. I should mention that I was staying in Los Angeles more specifically Venice Beach of all places so the prices may be higher or lower depending on the prices you’re referencing in the states. Definitely, let me know if it’s different for where you live or where you’ve visited. The cost of living in Japan vs USA just seemed quite different during this last visit. Let me know what you think.
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Hi Paolo and fam, thanks for your videos. We are from Toronto Canada and recently came back from vacay in Japan. We noted very similar numbers as you. Food was +25% less, greater quality and no tip. Electronics and.non luxury clothes, depending and what you needed, prices were the same or a bit less in Japan. Definitely a great time to visit, cannot wait to go back!
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Here we go. When I went to Japan in 2018, A bowl of RAMEN. California versus Kumamoto. LOL.
Did you actually use prices with or without tax ?
Also some stuff like a laptop wouldn't make sense for most foreigners… not sure about the US but usually I'd assume they would want you to pay tax when bringing it home so even if you buy it tax free in Japan (which you probably didn't calculate in?) adding tax in some countries might be sooooo expensive.
Hey guys, turns out the prices are higher IN ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES IN AMERICA.
Love your content but cali has some of the most expensive prices in the US on some products and services prices can vary alot the only example i looked up prices on was the big mac, in mississippi the big mac meal is 8$ and i know stuff like gas prices are much cheaper then LA as well
Australia is even worse than the USA for cost of living 🙁
It's easy to see why so many Americans are obese. Just take a look at a convenience store in the US vs Japan. It's very sad
Comparisons are hard to make now. The dollar is dramatically overvalued against the yen and US inflation is much worse. Not a good time to visit the US from Japan.
California minimum wage went up to $20 hr. and Inflation has skyrocketed. Now everything is going up especially Gas.
Everything seems so much cheaper! What are incomes like compared to those in the US? Do people from the US work in Japan on a US salary?
I'm from Switzerland and living in Tokyo. Been living here for almost 8 years. Everytime I go to the US (once a year for work purpose ) I'm always shocked how the richest country in earth is turning into a 3rd world country.
Hush hush, otherwise that one trick pony organisation is going to raise rates again… An gas producing country charging more for gas than a gas importing country lol. The wheelchair rental reeks of profiteering. So much for touting the supposed free market eh? The freer the dearer.
Aw man you not only picked the most expensive city in the state, but you picked the most expensive area in the city too! ahahaha
I didn’t know Japan sell teslas since they don’t like EV’s for some reason.
I’m US based but I prefer to eat cheap here and “save” money on good dining by going to Japan.
Do I want to go to Japan now? I’ve been wanting to go all my life. Japan is my number one destination and the girls are also my number ones.
The only thing I do have to mention about the toilet paper – all of the TP I used in Japan was absolutely terrible. I'll be packing my more expensive (but much better) American TP next time I visit, lol
I live in Cali, the prices are more expensive here than most of America. I believe the only other place that gets pricey is NY.
The reason why the overall costs in Japan are cheaper is because the minimum wage is lower. In America, politicians mess up the economy for easy votes by promising to raise minimum wage and not explaining what sort of impact it will have on the economy in that state and/or country. Businesses pass on the costs of higher minimum wages to the customer. So if you championed the increase of minimum wages, but hate the fact that prices increased you lost the right to complain.
Those CityWalk prices are absolutely more expensive because it’s for tourists… But there’s something to be said about theme park food differences in the two countries as well! Theme park food in the States can run around $18-25 for one plate, whereas the most I spent for one item at Tokyo DisneySea was 800 Yen…!
The math is a bit misleading here.
Japan is very cheap if you are going with Dollars, and the US is expensive if you only have Yen.
You need to dig deeper.. in your day in the life videos.. how much do they take home? How much is rent?
Almost all of them live in a tiny flats, eat very little, work early till late. Do they think Japan is cheap?
Let’s just summarize… food and products are cheaper and taste way better in Japan compared to the US. Let’s not go there with 7-11 Japan vs US either, it’s comparing Apple iPhones vs Landline cordless phones. The US will never have better food, and they’ll screw up 7-11 if it ever sells stuff that Japan 7-11 sells.
Panda Express in L.A.county offers a two entree plate for $5.00 after a Dodgers home win if you order through their app. Those Citywalk prices are tourist prices. Hope you grabbed some donuts at Voodoo Donuts.
I mean, you DID go to the most expensive touristy areas of LA. So yeah it's not cheap here, but that's kinda the worst place to "compare"
Hey Paolo, how are you so rich? Wish we were multi millionaires like you my g
the thumbnail 💀
The fast food in California will be a lot more due to our governor demanding $20 hour for entry level fast food workers. This caused the loss of jobs in the untold 1000's across the fast food chains. Also, you're shopping at a convenience store, not a grocery store where most of us shop, and cup of noodles is $.99 at my local grocery store, Top Ramen is $.47. and Maruchan Yakisoba is $1.49. These are prices at a high end Ralphs supermarket, but still way cheaper than a convenience store. They be a bit less at Walmart, food for less, and the like discount stores. We never shop at 7/11 due to the prices. California isn't a great place to compare with Japan, everything will be higher here even in good times!
Prices for fast food in California went up dramatically in the last 2 years. Companies in the US want to make sure they make profits, and the inflation bruhaha last year gave them the excuse to further increase their profits. What gets me is the price of Uni (sea urchin) . It's grown and harvested in Santa Barbara, just a few miles north of me, but the price seems a bit high, almost twice as much as tuna.
lol, in Texas I pay $6/lb for ribeye steaks, milk is less than $3 a gallon, and eggs are $3 for 18. LA is so much more expensive it doesn't really compare to the rest of the US.
The cost of everything in California, versus over here in New Hampshire, is roughly 25 to 40% more
Median Usa salary is $59,384
Median japan salary is 39,818 USD
This is nothing. I'm in NYC, and decent quality eggs were $11/dozen. They only recently went back down to… $8. Another thing I noticed when I went to japan years ago, was the the quality and flavor of our produce and almost all ingredients in the US are noticeably inferior to what I had in Japan. When I mentioned this to a small farmer at a farmers market in NY, he told me that everything here is sold for looks and size, so the flavor is not really a consideration, and that's why most fruit and veggies here are bland. After I started growing my own greens and tomatoes at home I noticed that I found everything but the most expensive grocery store tomatoes to be inedible. We're also paying for every little thing, all the time… not to mention "healthcare."
As for "junk food." I used to pay $1.50 for a bag of chips only 3-4 years ago, and now it is $3.50 for the same bag and there are LESS chips inside. All this while grocery chains are posting RECORD profits.
We're being badly scammed in the US.
It is crazy now price wise in the USA … the ridiculously high mandatory wages (for unskilled labor) and increased (useless) regulations are killing the average businesses … and the consumer is footing the literal Bill .. nobody wins with that backwards logic …
If you want to really get a shock, come to Australia and see how much we get ripped off!
I would love to visit Japan in the future. I'm from Ontario, Canada.
Thanks for the price comparisons. As a Canadian, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in Japan. Taxes must be lower here for consumer goods and food.
We loved Super Mario World at universal, but it really hits the wallet as we had to change CDN to USA. but worth it. My son loved it too. great video.
I’m from San Diego. I can’t wait to go there in April. I’ve heard about the prices there through my friends that’s been there recently. They said the same. Great content. Hope to run into you there.
day and night in quality if your comparing USA to Japan. Japan hands down is better at everything.
Paolo, so glad you made it out here to LA, but I think it's important to take into account the standard of living in LA (and Greater LA) are way higher than most cities in the US.
Grocery prices here in LA are like $300 per week for some households, whereas they used to be way more affordable.
Gas prices are fairly moderate right now, but were WAY higher last year and the year before.
LA in general is a very expensive city to live in.
I'm visiting Japan for the 3rd time in seven weeks…this time, I'm looking forward to buying adult tickets at USJ and DisneySea.