Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamakura and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,138 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Kamakura $1,138
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,853 in Kamakura versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Kamakura $1,853
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Kamakura versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Kamakura $2,568
Osaka $2,632

Living in Kamakura costs roughly 17% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kamakura is 16% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 ¥976

$6.25 ¥987

-1.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$31.70 ¥5,008

-1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 ¥795

$4.90 ¥774

2.65%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ¥388

$2.95 ¥466

-16.95%

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

$1.09 ¥172

$1.44 ¥228

-24.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.75 ¥119

1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.65 ¥419

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$3.87 ¥611

-18.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥227

$1.44 ¥227

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.34 ¥211

14.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 ¥562

$5.25 ¥830

-32.19%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥312

$2.14 ¥338

-7.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ¥1,638

$9.33 ¥1,475

11.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 ¥981

$9.22 ¥1,456

-32.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 ¥2,283

$18.39 ¥2,906

-21.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$3.43 ¥541

62.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.92 ¥303

40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.99 ¥314

40.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$4.05 ¥640

1.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.56 ¥247

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$1.17 ¥185

123.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.30 ¥205

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.88 ¥139

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥594

$4.00 ¥631

-6.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 ¥968

$9.60 ¥1,517

-36.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.95 ¥308

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥326

$3.24 ¥512

-36.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.39 ¥219

7.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.83 ¥7,873

$32.34 ¥5,109

54.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.69 ¥583

-13.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$3.07 ¥486

-11.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.07 ¥2,540

$21.76 ¥3,437

-26.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.09 ¥173

0.92%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-2.63%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

1.19%

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

$114 ¥18.0K

$139 ¥22.0K

-18.22%

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

$23.64 ¥3,735

$24.50 ¥3,870

-3.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 ¥4,883

$30.67 ¥4,846

0.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,218

$49.03 ¥7,746

6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 ¥2,038

$12.72 ¥2,010

1.42%

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

$585 ¥92.4K

$510 ¥80.5K

14.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

11.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.91 ¥7,884

$48.57 ¥7,673

2.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.52 ¥5,612

$30.98 ¥4,894

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 ¥9,543

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-18.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 ¥15.4K

$91.5 ¥14.5K

6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ¥76.4K

$699 ¥110.5K

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥48.1K

$510 ¥80.6K

-40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ¥169.8K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$772 ¥122.0K

-1.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,688 ¥740.6K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-24.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,728 ¥273.0K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-9.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,749 ¥276.4K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-27.81%

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 Kamakura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kamakura

$304 26.7%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 67.8% $206

Groceries & Markets

Kamakura

$285 25.1%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 5.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamakura

$168 14.8%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 15.4% $26

Eating Out

Kamakura

$120 10.6%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 7.8% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kamakura

$110 9.6%

Osaka

$110 8% 0.8% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Kamakura

$78 6.8%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 4.3% $3.3

Getting Around

Kamakura

$73 6.4%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 21.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $483 in Kamakura and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 39% 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 Kamakura vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $302 per month, with Kamakura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

Same time as Kamakura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,710

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

Kamakura vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $483 in Kamakura versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Kamakura 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 $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kamakura is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Osaka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kamakura 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 Kamakura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.