Japan is often though of as a place with a high cost of living, but the 
cost of a Big Mac in Japan is actually cheaper than that of Australia.

The cost of this burger is often regarded as an indicator of the cost of 
living in a country. Prices in Yen are:

Japan - ¥262.5
Australia - ¥293.6

One would expect Australia to be cheaper (especially for this product 
which has beef) so I am suprised to see Japan having cheaper Big Macs.

I am starting to think that this idea of Japan being an expensive 
country is a ridiculous myth, perpetrated by tourists who went to Japan 
for one week and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton.