This is a classic example of the problems with using real GDP as a measure of anything. The US GDP counts crime and corruption as positive contributors to the economy; the error is so deeply embedded in the idea of GDP that economists have a name for it: the Broken Window Fallacy. Japan&#x27;s GDP counts the world&#x27;s most efficient urban infrastructure, best rail system, and world&#x27;s best urban zoning, transit, and development practices against it because it makes unsubsidized city living relatively cheap. Inflation calculations in both countries are nothing but political propaganda.<p>If you measure cost of living against typical wages, Japan outperforms the USA and far surpasses the UK and almost all of Europe. Just compute a budget including owning a home in a good school district in a safe neighborhood. Don&#x27;t forget health care and owning two or three cars in the USA. Add back in the value of all the untaxed employer provided benefits in Japan.