Why My Family's Cost of Living is Cheaper in Tokyo

Here's the thing. I moved from Vancouver, Canada, to Tokyo, Japan. In Canada, I used to make more money, yet my quality of life is somehow better across the Pacific ocean. This is largely in part due to the cost of living being cheaper for my family. How could this be, in one of the most expensive cities in the world?

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[LifeWhereImFrom]

Lots of little things I wanted to say, so here's a numbered list!
4. I was purposely not trying to get into too much details, because there are so many variables, from location to lifestyle. I started collecting all that kind of data, but it got messy so fast, that I chose to focus in on the three main cost differences I found between life in Vancouver vs. Tokyo. I am working on a more messy, discussiony video on the X channel. If you have questions, just leave them below.
5. Overall, Japanese households make less money, but they also have less expenses. I have a suspicion that for the bottom 20%, the quality of life is better in Japan, but that's a whole other series of videos that I will be investigating.
6. The overall thing that still impresses me about the 23 wards of Tokyo (9 million), Tokyo Metropolis (13 million), and the Tokyo Metropolitan area (37 million), is that housing is so varied in pricing for all income levels, from public housing, to micro apartments, to full blown custom houses. I really wish Canada had a simple national zoning policy that allowed for more mixed use and more density. For major cities like Toronto and Vancouver, it's so hard for all but those at the top to make a go at it nowadays.
7. I tried very hard to get all the details correct, sources are in the description. I really hope I didn't misrepresent anything.

[Emily-thsc]

I got so excited when you said, "if you love stats, get ready for an action packed video."
Then you stabbed me in the back, Greg.

[JasonStevens]

We had an issue in Tokyo in the middle of the night with my daughter, and we had to pay 100% of the bill. Including the ambulance ride, police, and examination medicine and treatment it was under $200 USD.

[doggydude]

One thing I greatly admired about the Japanese as a whole is that you can be poor in Japan and still be safe in most aspects such as education, healthcare, working infrastructure, and physical security. Poverty in America can almost be life sentence of low quality public education, access to emergency healthcare (not preventive healthcare), failing and outdated infrastructure, and physical dangers of thugs/criminals in your neighborhood.

[TokiYuYu]

Don’t let the cost scare you from visiting or moving to Japan! It’s definitely a misconception that it is super expensive in Tokyo. It definitely can cost a lot of money depending on your lifestyle but I think the cost of living can definitely be much less than in North America

[chigasaki]

The healthcare thing is so accurate. I was injured in Japan and required therapy for about two months. The total cost was a little over $200 U.S., which included medicine. In the states, the first doctor visit could cost more than what I paid for my complete care in Japan (which was covered by my employer).

[diorcolon]

Here in New Jersey, US I waited 3hrs for a Doctor to tell me my toe was broken and there was nothing he could do, the bill? Over $2, 000 😒.

[dostagirl]

Nothing like this could exist here. If you look at all the best societal models like Germany, Sweden, and Japan, you’ll notice that the singular quality that stands out is conformity and the willingness to change your own behavior for the betterment of overall society with an ever present awareness of others. Countries with more emphasis on individual success and focus have resulted in some wonderful things as well but will never posses the mindset needed to replicate this sort of civility on a large scale. It’s so sad.

[lalilulelo]

I was a tourist in Tokyo for 8 days last year. I find the prices not as expensive as what most tourists who visited Tokyo said. The prices are reasonable.

[MrSwallows]

Lol. I live in Tokyo right now and I only have a pocket money of 1300 dollars. That money can last me up to 4-5 months since I know how to cook and I have a bike as a mode of transportation. The reason why people says that it's expensive in Tokyo is because it's so tempting to waste money here. So many things to do in Tokyo which is bad for people who can sway easily. If you're one of them, and plan to stay here for a year, then Tokyo is not for you.

[kattiepenn]

Everyone here needs to keep in mind that he is a skilled, degreed professional with a good job and a solid understanding of Japanese and cultures. If you don't have these qualities and just simply day dreaming about going to Japan and have a good living there just by teaching English you'll be greatly disappointed. Remember, competition is tough is any developed metro cities or countries. Remember you're facing applicants from US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, even Singapore and Hong Kong.

[sonnybrown]

Cost of living here in LA is basically you're either dirt poor or you're well off to rich. Middle class is a joke.

[birdlikebirds]

When he said "I moved from Vancouver" I'm like... oh so that's why it's cheaper lmao.

[PrettyTranslatorSarahMoon]

Crying while I watch this in California...

[冬-]

I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world which is HK. Property prices are INSANE

[mu]

Hi Greg. I'm a Japanese man living in Toronto. I'm originally from around Tokyo and came here to go to university. It's been almost 19 years since I came here. You nicely covered living costs in Tokyo. I agree with you that it is cheaper to live in Japan. I am surprised that there are many people who believe the living costs in Japan are high. I think it is due to those biased surveys.

In Toronto and many other cities in Canada, a bachelor apartment costs CAD 1, 000 per month at a minimum (even in a 30-50 year old building) and it is nearly impossible to buy a house since the cost is prohibitive (almost a million dollar). Food and groceries are cheaper in Japan as well. For example, in Japan a big mac costs JPY 390 (tax included) but in Canada it is CAD 6.19 (+tax). Home internet and car insurance are also less in Japan.

[rebeccawcleung]

Your footage is soooo high quality, so clear .. i had to click on the link to see what camera you were using!

[alienvaghasteeth]

Having lived in Tokyo for 10 years now, how much it really costs one to live here largely depends on where in the city one lives. It's really one of the biggest factors, in my opinion. When I first came to Tokyo, I lived in Minato-ku; now I live in Adachi-ku. That little move brought my living expenses down by about 70% (no joke). A modern, but modest, apartment in certain areas can easily cost thousands of dollars per month. But by going out to the periphery of the city, one can find better apartments for much, much cheaper rent, which should be no surprise. However, the degree to which the prices drop is actually quite astonishing.

[佐藤珠代-nv]

I'm a Japanese who living in small city of Japan.
This is because a chronic deflationary spiral and Japanese are forced to overuse the excess service by companies.
Japan is the paradise for wealthy foreigners. However, for foreigners working in small companies in Japan, there is the hell.
Unfortunately, basically Japanese are serious citizens. Even if employment conditions are bad, it is the nature of Japanese to have the spirit to contribute to the enterprise unconsciously. As in Japan, countries with low prices are abundant on earth. However, there are no convenient services, comfortable environments, and safe security like Japan.
Why?
Citizens of whole countries are not hard worker.
The Japanese made the current Japanese society at the expense of their private life.
Thank you for reading.

[Afterth]

My aunt is able to live in Tokyo paying like $100/month for a three bedroom government apartment in Adachi ward. She was one of the few lucky applicants winning the housing lottery. She had to take care of her kids when her husband had diabetes being unable to work.