Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aomori and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Aomori: $1,197 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
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Aomori Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,197

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aomori and in Osaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aomori and in Osaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,197 in Aomori versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Aomori $1,197
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in Aomori versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Aomori $1,893
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Aomori versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Aomori $2,589
Osaka $2,632

Living in Aomori costs roughly 13% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aomori is 12% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 ¥1,018

$6.25 ¥987

3.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.48 ¥4,974

$31.70 ¥5,008

-0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥805

$4.90 ¥774

3.88%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥493

$2.95 ¥466

5.76%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ¥187

$1.44 ¥228

-17.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.75 ¥119

5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ¥425

$2.65 ¥419

1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.87 ¥611

-16.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.44 ¥227

2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.34 ¥211

14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$5.25 ¥830

-22.29%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥332

$2.14 ¥338

-1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 ¥1,623

$9.33 ¥1,475

10.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ¥1,052

$9.22 ¥1,456

-27.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.32 ¥2,578

$18.39 ¥2,906

-11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.43 ¥541

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥356

$1.92 ¥303

17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ¥458

$1.99 ¥314

45.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 ¥646

$4.05 ¥640

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$1.56 ¥247

57.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥405

$1.17 ¥185

119.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.30 ¥205

-0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.88 ¥139

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 ¥1,042

$9.60 ¥1,517

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥285

$1.95 ¥308

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.24 ¥512

-35.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.5 ¥8,451

$32.34 ¥5,109

65.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$3.69 ¥583

-16.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥458

$3.07 ¥486

-5.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.51 ¥2,925

$21.76 ¥3,437

-14.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 ¥160

$1.09 ¥173

-7.34%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-2.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

2.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$132 ¥20.9K

$139 ¥22.0K

-4.84%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.30 ¥3,839

$24.50 ¥3,870

-0.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.31 ¥4,947

$30.67 ¥4,846

2.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 ¥8,375

$49.03 ¥7,746

8.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,902

$12.72 ¥2,010

-5.35%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$511 ¥80.7K

$510 ¥80.5K

0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

-1.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 ¥7,970

$48.57 ¥7,673

3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥4,999

$30.98 ¥4,894

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 ¥9,708

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-17.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 ¥14.1K

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥85.1K

$699 ¥110.5K

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.5K

$510 ¥80.6K

-34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 ¥176.0K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-34.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 ¥117.4K

$772 ¥122.0K

-3.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,143 ¥654.5K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-33.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,774 ¥280.2K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-7.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aomori: October 17, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aomori

$333 27.8%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 53.5% $178

Groceries & Markets

Aomori

$286 23.9%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aomori

$188 15.7%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 3.3% $6.3

Eating Out

Aomori

$132 11%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 1.6% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Aomori

$105 8.8%

Osaka

$110 8% 5.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Aomori

$77 6.4%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 3.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Aomori

$77 6.4%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 26% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $539 in Aomori and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Aomori vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $302 per month, with Aomori cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Aomori

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Aomori

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,192

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Aomori Osaka 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aomori
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aomori vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aomori and Osaka differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,197 vs $1,378 including rent). Aomori is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,795 in Aomori and $2,067 in Osaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $539 in Aomori versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Aomori versus $510 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,197 in Aomori versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aomori but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Aomori the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aomori and Osaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aomori gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.