99¢ pasta is god! Parking over ¥3,000 per hour, which is more atrocious than the cost of food… New York’s latest price report of love and despair.

Unprecedented depreciation of the yen. Our yen is now being pushed around by all currencies, with the U.S. dollar at the head of the list, and is now on the verge of losing cold. the dollar/yen rate, which hit an all-time low of 75 yen in October 2011, has been hovering between 140 and 150 yen as of late. The cost of living in Japan is only getting squeezed, but what about the U.S.?

New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and according to the latest survey by ECA International, it is one of the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates (the others are Switzerland and Singapore. ) If you accidentally land in New York City, you may find yourself in the middle of the city.

The author, who has inadvertently landed in New York City, will report on the local cost of living in this city, with its many vicissitudes and joys. (*The following amounts are calculated based on the exchange rate of 150 yen to the dollar on the credit card I used during my stay in New York.) (The following amounts are calculated based on the exchange rate of 150 yen per dollar, the exchange rate of the credit card used during my stay in New York.

A lunch of “kale salad and a beer” cost 8,000 yen!

There are many rumors about how expensive the restaurant is, but when I actually looked at the menu, I was extremely dismayed. A salad or pasta for lunch costs $20 to $30. It is also sad that I have to face my luxury plate with a lot of effort because there is no sharing culture in Europe and the United States. If I’m going to pay this much, I at least want a bite of other food. I faced only kale salad for lunch. With a beer and a tip, the total is $55. The standard tip is about 20% of the amount. Having learned multiplication, I know that the higher the original price, the higher the tip. Though he certainly poured me a beer with a smile on his face.

The total tip was about 8,000 yen – enough money to go to two pleasant drinking parties in Japan, but it was consumed in an hour’s lunch time. I ate a lot of healthy-looking kale, but I almost felt sick when I saw the amount.

The wages for restaurant staff are also incredible. The minimum wage for hired workers in New York City is $15 (2,250 yen). In reality, however, $15 is not enough to attract people, and it is not uncommon to find people being hired at $30 to $40 per hour. In addition to the hourly wage, tips are also paid. New Yorkers earn the equivalent of a day’s wages in Japan in one hour. That’s right, I would pour beer with a smile on my face.

The dog food sold at the drugstore cost $14.99 (2,249 yen), more than the average Japanese person’s meal. I wondered if the “decree of mercy for all living creatures” had been issued once again. The times are rolling back, but Japan can’t seem to catch up.

It might not be a bad idea to be a dog in New York in my next life. If a brush-up life thing were to happen to me, I would rather be a dog in New York than a human being.

At the food store, I found a familiar-looking natto (fermented soybeans) on sale: $2.79 (419 yen) for three packs. It seems expensive by Japanese standards, but compared to other foodstuffs in New York City, it is not that expensive.

A pack of 10 eggs, the “king of price comparison,” costs $5.79 (869 yen). Sushi is $16.75 (2,513 yen). In Japan, this is the price for a sushi lunch at a sushi restaurant, but here it is a cold pack of sushi. Sushi is inflated worldwide.

This is indeed the best New York City in the world. Everything you see is expensive.

Not one to give in, I decided to wander through the huge supermarkets to see if there was a way to get by on food at a reasonable price.

I found a pasta dish that is a friend to the common man. It was only 99 cents! I was as happy as if I had found a legendary sword. A six-pack of tomatoes cost $1.00, and I felt like I could survive if I kept boiling pasta every day. Tomato pasta is done. There is no other choice. I was relieved to know that if I worked hard, I could keep my daily food expenses under a thousand yen.

I also found a new favorite of the common people!　Bananas are 19 cents. Banana pasta is tough, but I was able to secure breakfast as well. Having secured food, we went for a further stroll to enhance our clothing & housing.

At a “Fashion Center Shimamura”-like store in the Harlem district, clothes were available for as little as $1. Get a stylish outfit at Shimamura in New York and eat pasta every day.

When I was looking for something inexpensive, I found a line of products with Japanese labeling that looked like they could be found at a 100-yen store for $1.99 (299 yen). The price of stationery that looks like it belongs in a 100-yen shop went up dramatically as soon as it was packaged in a package designed for overseas use. Japanese technology and quality are amazing, yet inexpensive. Thank goodness for that. In New York, I encountered a feeling for the first time in my life. Thank you, Japan.

How about the price of daily necessities? A box of small tissues costs $2.79. In Japan, you could buy a pack of 5 packs. I can’t afford to suffer from hay fever. With the mild winter this year, pollen will be dispersed earlier in 2024. I have decided to return to Japan as soon as possible to get rid of the sniffles in Japan.

Dish-washing sponges cost $4 to $6 for a pack of three. I can see why foreigners visiting Japan go crazy over 100-yen and discount stores in Japan.

My wallet is starting to scream, but I had a chance to talk to a banker who grew up in New York and asked him, “Your wallet isn’t crying, is it? ” I asked him.

He replied, “Yes, coming from Japan, it seems expensive due to the strong yen. But if you are paid at the level here, this is normal. I don’t feel it’s that high.

Wait, wait, wait, you don’t feel it’s expensive?　Is that normal?

This statement may be more damaging than the actual high prices. We are the only ones agonizing over these prices: ……. For New Yorkers, this is everyday life. Perhaps it is just a feeling like, “If I came to Tokyo from the countryside, the rent and prices would be a bit high.

When we talked to a Japanese resident in New York, he said, “I try not to think about it because it would be hard to convert it into Japanese yen. The rent is about 700,000 yen for a smaller room than when I was in Japan. Even if you pay more than double the average monthly salary in Japan, you cannot live in a mansion. Of food, clothing, and shelter, housing seems to be the only thing he can’t manage.

What astonished me was the parking in the city. It is $21.21 (3,182 yen) per hour, not the maximum charge for a day. Even the Minato Ward under the sun is treated like a child here. In addition, this parking lot does not have a maximum fee system, which makes it even more dangerous.

Even without a car, you can get around in Manhattan without any problems. I guess only the very best celebrities use this parking, but doesn’t it really seem expensive? By the way, I heard that monthly parking is over 100,000 yen with room to spare. It’s a house.

Whatever, what’s with the $0.21 ticking. We live in a cashless society here, so I am sure there are no scenes where I would run to a convenience store because I don’t have a cent, but I would be very confused if parking in Japan was 221 yen per hour. Even if I could use credit cards or PayPay, I would still be puzzled.

Uber, a “ride-sharing” service that is being talked about in Japan as the cab shortage accelerates and whether or not to introduce it, has taken root in New York City.

New York is a city that walks anyway; when I visited in 2018, I used Uber for all my transfers to alleviate fatigue. But now, Uber trips are about three times more expensive in dollar terms. In other words, in yen terms, it is about 4.5 times. This makes it impossible to use Uber for a short trip. We decided to make full use of the subway and just walk. However, subway travel is also expensive. It costs $2.9 (435 yen) for each ride. In any case, it was expensive.

I tried to find a way to reduce the cost of living here, but I realized that it was impossible, and I returned to Japan devastated.

To my chagrin, the yen was at its peak of depreciation during my stay in New York, and after I returned to Japan, the exchange rate soared to 141 yen to the dollar. Why was this? How will the exchange rate move in 2024? Some predict that the yen will appreciate, but as we have seen so far, prices are overwhelmingly different. It is not only the effect of the exchange rate that makes New York seem expensive. It is expensive anyway.

After returning to Japan, everything feels cheap. My body is now able to appreciate even a 1,000 yen lunch. This side reaction may have been the greatest benefit of my trip to New York. Those who bemoan the high cost of living in Japan might want to try New York for once. It is a life hack that will enhance your life in Japan. My trip ended with the creation of one completely useless life hack.