Translation guide
In Japanese, 'living expenses' is most commonly expressed as 生活費 (seikatsuhi). This is the standard, neutral term. Other expressions exist for specific contexts, such as daily costs or household budgets.
The overall cost of maintaining one's lifestyle, including food, housing, utilities, etc.
The standard, all-purpose term for 'living expenses'. Used in both spoken and written Japanese.
How much are your monthly living expenses?
Please tell me how to save on living expenses.
A more formal or statistical term for 'cost of living' or 'livelihood expenses'. Often used in economic reports.
The cost of living in this area is higher than the national average.
Expenses incurred on a day-to-day basis, such as food, transportation, and small purchases.
The overall financial plan for a household, covering all necessary expenditures.
Refers to 'household finances' or 'family budget'. Commonly used when discussing managing money at home.
I started a part-time job to help with the household expenses.
Keeping a household account book is tough.
Means 'making ends meet' or 'managing the household budget'. Implies careful financial planning.
The amount of money needed to sustain a certain standard of living, often used in comparisons between places or times.
生活費 refers to the actual expenses themselves, while 家計 refers to the household budget or financial situation as a whole. You can say 生活費がかかる (living expenses are high), but 家計が苦しい (the household budget is tight).
生活費の中で食費が一番かかります。
Food expenses account for the largest part of my living expenses.
My mother is good at managing the household budget.
この町は物価が安いので生活しやすい。
This town has a low cost of living, so it's easy to live here.