compared to N; in comparison with N
去年に比べて、今年は本当に寒いね。
kyonen ni kurabete, kotoshi wa hontou ni samui ne.
Compared to last year, it's really cold this year. casual
都会に比べて、田舎は物価が安い。
tokai ni kurabete, inaka wa bukka ga yasui.
Compared to the city, prices are lower in the countryside. neutral
Variants
と比べてtokurabetecolloquial
と in place of に reads a touch more matter-of-fact/spoken, naming both compared items on equal footing rather than setting one as the implicit standard.
に比べnikurabeformal
て drops mid-sentence in reports and news copy — 前年度に比べ、売上高は増加した; never in conversation.
に比べて
にくらべてni kurabeteN3neutral