Loading...

Jul 12, 2018

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia

Japan has a bit of a reputation for having a high cost of living, and depending on where in the world you've moved here from, you may feel a bit of "sticker shock" when you check out the prices of day to day items here.


Overall though, I'd say that compared to what I'm used to in Australia, prices of items here in Japan (for the most part) are on par or actually cheaper! Grocery items are a good example, so I thought I'd do a short cost comparison. Here are a few items from the catalog of a supermarket chain back home from this week.

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo

Pic Credit: Wikimedia Commons


Eggs

Definitely cheaper in Japan


A dozen eggs in Australia will set you back around $4.20 AUD or about 350 yen. Here in Japan at our local supermarket, a dozen eggs are less than 200 yen. 


Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo


Premixed Alcoholic Drinks

Definitely cheaper in Japan


Alcoholic beverages in Australia are pretty expensive - this is a common brand of flavored pre-mixed vodka drinks, and a six pack of cans will set you back $20 Aussie Dollars, or about 1650 yen. Compare that with your average can of chu-hai at about 100 yen a can (slightly more at convenience stores!) and you'll see that enjoying a beverage or two is much more wallet friendly here in Japan.

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo

Apples

Definitely cheaper in Australia


Fresh produce might be one arena where Australia has the upper hand over Japan. Each individual apple back in the land down under is on average about 70 cents - just under 60 Japanese yen. Compare that to apples being priced on average at 150 yen to 200 yen here, and Aussie apples look like a bargain. I will say - apple quality here in Japan to me is much better - they're much more crisp and juicy!

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo


Persimmons

A fruit that's cheaper in Japan?!


Persimmons aren't very common back home in Australia - I'd never tried them until I'd lived in Japan for several years. This is one fruit that I actually find to be cheaper here in Japan. Last autumn, persimmons at my local farmer's market were priced at about 70 yen each. In Australia they're $2.50 each or 2 for $4 - even with the sale price they're more expensive than here.

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo

Washed white potatoes

Cheaper in Australia


A 2 kilogram bag of potatoes in Australia will set you back $4. I find them much more expensive in Japan!

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo

Bread

About the same price


Australian bread seems more expensive at the initial price point, but loaves of bread are much bigger than the 6-8 slices you'll get in Japan. An average loaf in Australia would have about 20 slices, so cost wise they're close enough to being the same. My local supermarket has the small 6 to 8 slice loaves for about 80-90 yen depending on the day.

Grocery cost comparison from Japan to Australia photo


How do you find the overall price of groceries here in Japan compared to back home? 


1 Comment

  • edthethe

    on Jul 12

    potatoes are probably the biggest staple food with the biggest price difference for me. In the states you can buy giant bags for 3 dollars. 3 dollars worth of potatoes here will get you four or five tiny things.