I went to Tokyo this year and was shocked at how cheap it was compared to major North American cities. Meals like ramen were $8.00 USD including tax and tip. Asked some young people how much rent was in Tokyo, "very expensive, young people need their parents help... $1,000 USD per month". Sums it up there, much cheaper than the US and Canada but salaries are so low it's expensive for them. My take away is that Japan has a rep for being super expensive when in fact it's now very cheap for North Americans.