Cost to send money from Japan to China
Sending JPY 17,000 from Japan to China cost 18.48% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 15 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 3.57% (SBI Remit) and the highest 60.68%. JPY 17,000 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 9.85%.
| Average total cost (US$200 equivalent) | 18.48% |
| Average total cost (US$500 equivalent) | 8.61% |
| Average FX margin | 1.38% |
| Money transfer operators | 6.73% across 8 services |
| Banks | 31.92% across 7 services |
| Surveyed | 18 Aug 2025 to 27 Aug 2025, 9 providers |
Every service surveyed, cheapest first
Total cost is the fee plus the FX margin, as a share of JPY 17,000.
| Provider | Type | Pay by | Receive as | Speed | Fee | FX margin | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBI Remit | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | Less than one hour | JPY 460.00 | 0.86% | 3.57% |
| Western Union | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | Less than one hour | JPY 800.00 | 0.47% | 5.18% |
| Seven Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | JPY 750.00 | 1.06% | 5.47% |
| Western Union | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Cash | Less than one hour | JPY 880.00 | 0.55% | 5.73% |
| Western Union | Money Transfer Operator | Cash | Cash | 2 days | JPY 880.00 | 0.55% | 5.73% |
| MoneyGram | Money Transfer Operator | Cash | Cash | Less than one hour | JPY 750.00 | 1.99% | 6.40% |
| Seven Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Cash | Less than one hour | JPY 890.00 | 2.47% | 7.71% |
| Queen Bee Capital | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | JPY 800.00 | 3.92% | 8.63% |
| JRF | Money Transfer Operator | Bank account transfer | Bank account | Next day | JPY 1,450.00 | 0.74% | 9.27% |
| JRF | Money Transfer Operator | Cash | Bank account | Next day | JPY 1,450.00 | 0.76% | 9.29% |
| Japan Post Bank | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 3-5 days | JPY 3,000.00 | 2.35% | 20.00% |
| MITSUBISHI UFJ NICOS | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 6 days or more | JPY 5,500.00 | 1.95% | 34.30% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | JPY 6,000.00 | 0.39% | 35.68% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 2 days | JPY 10,000.00 | 0.81% | 59.63% |
| MITSUBISHI UFJ NICOS | Bank | Bank account transfer | Bank account | 6 days or more | JPY 10,000.00 | 1.86% | 60.68% |
How the cost has moved
The average was 15.92% in Q2 2016, the first quarter in this series with data for the corridor, and 18.48% in Q3 2025.
The UN target
The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to bring the global average cost of sending remittances below 3% by 2030 and to remove corridors costing more than 5%. The World Bank measures the 5% test on the average of the three cheapest qualifying services in each corridor, not on the corridor average. source In this corridor the three cheapest services surveyed averaged 4.74% (a plain average, without the World Bank's qualifying rules).
Related
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from Japan to China?
Sending JPY 17,000 from Japan to China cost 18.48% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 15 services surveyed by the World Bank. The lowest cost was 3.57% (SBI Remit) and the highest 60.68%. JPY 17,000 is the World Bank's standard amount for this corridor, set as the equivalent of US$200. A year earlier, in Q3 2024, the average was 9.85%.
Which service cost least from Japan to China?
In the World Bank's Q3 2025 survey the lowest total cost was 3.57% of JPY 17,000, from SBI Remit. Costs change with exchange rates, so check current prices with each provider.
Where Polynopsis fits
The companies surveyed here move money across borders every day, and many of them prefund payout partners in the receiving country. Polynopsis is liquidity software for those companies: one live position across their banks, payout partners and wallets, with a warning before a corridor runs dry.
Data: World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide (complete dataset, licensed CC BY 4.0). Averages and charts are worked out by Polynopsis from that dataset. Services without a US$200 quote are left out of the averages, so a few corridors differ slightly from the World Bank site. Each corridor uses the local send amount the World Bank set as the equivalent of US$200; where that amount is now worth much less than US$200, fixed fees make the percentage cost higher.
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator