Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,362 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,362 in Osaka.

Ichikawa $1,167
Osaka $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $1,986 in Osaka.

Ichikawa $1,876
Osaka $1,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $2,609 in Osaka.

Ichikawa $2,585
Osaka $2,609

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 14% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichikawa is 14% below, Osaka is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$6.46 ¥1,021

-20.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$31.30 ¥4,945

-0.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$4.90 ¥774

-12.24%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$2.96 ¥468

-24.66%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$1.37 ¥216

-47.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$0.73 ¥116

-52.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.74 ¥432

-8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$3.88 ¥614

-18.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.45 ¥230

-4.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$1.29 ¥203

27.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$5.29 ¥835

-30.81%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$2.04 ¥323

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$9.63 ¥1,522

9.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$9.43 ¥1,489

-37.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$18.22 ¥2,878

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$3.31 ¥523

67.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.93 ¥305

45.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$2.03 ¥321

38.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$4.14 ¥654

2.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.52 ¥240

71.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.18 ¥187

116.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.37 ¥216

-6.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.80 ¥126

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.86 ¥611

-3.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$9.54 ¥1,507

-33.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$1.94 ¥307

-8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$3.07 ¥485

-34.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.34 ¥212

0.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$32.00 ¥5,055

87.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$3.87 ¥611

-19.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$3.21 ¥507

-14.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$21.07 ¥3,328

-2.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.06 ¥167

-0.94%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-1.54%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

24.40%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$138 ¥21.7K

-4.20%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$24.11 ¥3,809

-0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$30.75 ¥4,857

4.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$50.6 ¥7,997

-7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.49 ¥2,921

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$11.74 ¥1,855

9.03%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$513 ¥81.0K

25.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

10.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$47.11 ¥7,442

31.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$30.51 ¥4,820

22.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$71.6 ¥11.3K

-15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$698 ¥110.3K

-29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$498 ¥78.6K

-36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$1,687 ¥266.5K

-29.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$755 ¥119.3K

0.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$6,157 ¥972.7K

-27.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$1,964 ¥310.3K

-4.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 ¥377.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

2.21

19.46%

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

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Osaka

$498 36.5% 57.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Osaka

$301 22.1% 5.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Osaka

$192 14.1% 2.5% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Osaka

$108 7.9% 8.4% $9.9

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Osaka

$132 9.7% 26.9% $28

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Osaka

$57 4.2% 30.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $698 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $31.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $301 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

Same time as Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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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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

Ichikawa vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichikawa and Osaka differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,362 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa and $2,044 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: $495 in Ichikawa versus $698 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $31.00 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,362 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa 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, Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.