Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hirakata and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Hirakata: $1,220 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Hirakata
Learn more

Hirakata Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Hirakata

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,220

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hirakata 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 Hirakata and in Osaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,220 in Hirakata versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Hirakata $1,220
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,929 in Hirakata versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Hirakata $1,929
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,638 in Hirakata versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Hirakata $2,638
Osaka $2,632

Living in Hirakata costs roughly 11% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hirakata is 10% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.59 ¥1,356

$6.25 ¥987

37.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.38 ¥4,958

$31.70 ¥5,008

-1.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 ¥786

$4.90 ¥774

1.43%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ¥458

$2.95 ¥466

-1.69%

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

$1.29 ¥204

$1.44 ¥228

-10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$0.75 ¥119

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.65 ¥419

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥228

$1.44 ¥227

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥206

$1.34 ¥211

-2.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.49 ¥867

$5.25 ¥830

4.57%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥324

$2.14 ¥338

-4.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,474

$9.33 ¥1,475

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 ¥1,095

$9.22 ¥1,456

-24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.25 ¥2,725

$18.39 ¥2,906

-6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$3.43 ¥541

-1.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$1.92 ¥303

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$1.99 ¥314

55.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 ¥652

$4.05 ¥640

1.98%

Potato (1kg)

$4.03 ¥637

$1.56 ¥247

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 ¥603

$1.17 ¥185

226.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.30 ¥205

4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥138

$0.88 ¥139

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$4.00 ¥631

-1.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 ¥1,531

$9.60 ¥1,517

0.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.95 ¥308

33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥495

$3.24 ¥512

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.39 ¥219

7.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ¥8,365

$32.34 ¥5,109

63.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.69 ¥583

-12.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.07 ¥486

5.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.59 ¥2,462

$21.76 ¥3,437

-28.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.09 ¥173

-2.75%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-1.42%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

1.52%

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

$114 ¥18.1K

$139 ¥22.0K

-17.72%

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

$23.50 ¥3,713

$24.50 ¥3,870

-4.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,805

$30.67 ¥4,846

-0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$49.03 ¥7,746

7.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 ¥1,022

$18.06 ¥2,853

-64.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 ¥1,806

$12.72 ¥2,010

-10.14%

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

$513 ¥81.1K

$510 ¥80.5K

0.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K ¥2.1M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

1.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.40 ¥7,646

$48.57 ¥7,673

-0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.44 ¥4,810

$30.98 ¥4,894

-1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 ¥9,710

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-17.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 ¥83.0K

$699 ¥110.5K

-24.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$510 ¥80.6K

-34.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 ¥177.1K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-34.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥115.2K

$772 ¥122.0K

-5.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,201 ¥663.7K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-32.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,730 ¥273.3K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-9.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,904 ¥300.9K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-21.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

2.21

-8.60%

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

Last update for Hirakata: October 20, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hirakata

$336 27.5%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 51.9% $175

Groceries & Markets

Hirakata

$308 25.3%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 2.1% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hirakata

$168 13.8%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 15.4% $26

Eating Out

Hirakata

$150 12.3%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 13.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Hirakata

$104 8.5%

Osaka

$110 8% 6.1% $6.4

Getting Around

Hirakata

$78 6.4%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 27.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hirakata

$75 6.2%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 1.2% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $525 in Hirakata and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Hirakata vs $32.00 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $308 vs $302, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hirakata

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

10:31 10:31 AM

Same time as Hirakata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

402,495

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hirakata Osaka 20 km

From you

Hirakata
Osaka

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

Hirakata vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hirakata and Osaka differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,220 vs $1,378 including rent). Hirakata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Osaka. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $525 in Hirakata versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hirakata runs roughly 64% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $513 in Hirakata versus $510 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,220 in Hirakata versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hirakata but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Hirakata 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, Hirakata 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 Hirakata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.