A lot of people wonder about the cost of living in Japan. Sure there’s living expenses, transportation, food, etc., but last weekend I decided to do some research on the cost of alcohol so you can compare it to your local store. There’s a law in Japan that makes people list their prices with tax included. Alcohol laws can be different in the U.S., so I’m not sure if the tax law applies to alcohol but I’m assuming so (I don’t have my receipt handy).

Almost all bottles listed are 750ml. Ones that are 700ml will be compared to the USD 750ml price. I’ll show you the actual price of alcohol in Yen from a liquor store in Japan and I’ll also list the estimated price in U.S. Dollars from what you’d find in a U.S. liquor store. From my extensive research I feel the Yen price is accurate and it’s what you’ll find at most stores. Ok, no more blah blah blah. Let’s get our drink on!

	Grey Goose Vodka (750ml) http://www.greygoosevodka.com/ Cost in Japanese Yen: 3200 (comparable) Estimated U.S. Dollars: $35
	Absolut Vodka (750ml) http://www.absolut.com/ Cost in Yen: 1190 (cheaper!) Estimated USD: $23 ** Absolut Vodka Flavored ** (Citron, Melon, etc) ** Cost in Yen: 2289 (comparable) ** Estimated USD: $23

	SKYY Vodka (750ml) http://www.skyy.com/ Cost in Yen: 1187 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $18
	Tanqueray (750ml) http://www.tanqueray.com/ Cost in Yen: 1391 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $21
	Bombay Sapphire (750ml) http://www.bombaysapphire.com/ Cost in Yen: 1490 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $25
	Crown Royal (750ml) http://www.crownroyal.com/ Cost in Yen: 1932 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $27
	Captain Morgan Spiced Rum (750ml) http://www.captainmorgan.com/ Cost in Yen: 1180 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $20
	Jägermeister (700ml) http://www.jagermeister.com/ Cost in Yen: 1660 (comparable) Estimated USD: $18
	Baileys (750ml) http://www.baileys.com/ Cost in Yen: 1300 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $23
	Jack Daniel’s (700ml) http://www.jackdaniels.com/ Cost in Yen: 1980 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $24
	Jameson Whiskey (700ml) http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/ Cost in Yen: 1850 (cheaper) Estimated USD: $26

As you can see, most hard liquor is cheaper in Japan vs the U.S. (20-50% cheaper). Some strange things I’ve noticed is that certain brands only carry 700ml compared to the U.S. version of 750ml. Also some brands that have a variety of flavors, like Absolut, charge more for the flavored bottles. I’d prefer a nice Absolut Mandarin with some Orange Juice but hey for 1100 Yen (about $10) price difference I’ll stick to the non flavored variety.

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