Japan was seen as expensive when I first moved there; my rent there was certainly higher than it would have been in Canada at the time (Circa 2008).
Also, it's hard to directly compare stuff on shelves to what we have here. For example, Japanese peaches are much more expensive than Ontario peaches - but they are also incomparably better. However, if you only look at the price on the label, you would be rightfully shocked at the price difference.
Japan is mostly cheap, but on our trip my wife accidentally bought some grapes at a normal grocery store (she wasn’t converting prices in her head). I think it was $20 for a pound.
You should carefully check the price tag when you want to bug fruits and vegetables in Japan, especially those are produced in Japan. The Japan Agricultural Cooperation has a very long history in controlling the price of the local products. The imports usually cost less than domestically grown equivalents.
Ah, my in-laws are in Yamanashi and I will never forget when they took me to the vineyard and I was randomly shocked to find out how much the grapes cost..
Also, it's hard to directly compare stuff on shelves to what we have here. For example, Japanese peaches are much more expensive than Ontario peaches - but they are also incomparably better. However, if you only look at the price on the label, you would be rightfully shocked at the price difference.