Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kawasaki and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,396 a month against $1,476 in Kawasaki, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,476

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,476 per month in Kawasaki vs $1,396 in Osaka, rent included.

Kawasaki $1,476
Osaka $1,396

A couple spends around $2,239 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,027 in Osaka, rent included.

Kawasaki $2,239
Osaka $2,027

A family of three spends $3,003 per month in Kawasaki vs $2,658 in Osaka, rent included.

Kawasaki $3,003
Osaka $2,658

Kawasaki costs about 6% more than Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kawasaki and Osaka sit above the global median – Kawasaki by 8%, Osaka by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ¥1,171

$6.50 ¥1,024

14.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.97 ¥5,981

$31.93 ¥5,029

18.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$5.15 ¥812

-3.11%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ¥407

$3.03 ¥477

-14.52%

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

$1.57 ¥248

$1.39 ¥220

12.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥144

$0.71 ¥112

28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ¥508

$2.75 ¥433

17.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$3.89 ¥612

-19.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.46 ¥229

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.30 ¥204

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ¥663

$5.46 ¥861

-22.89%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$2.03 ¥320

5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$9.63 ¥1,516

18.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 ¥1,058

$9.45 ¥1,489

-28.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 ¥2,585

$18.58 ¥2,926

-11.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.02 ¥949

$3.39 ¥534

77.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ¥449

$2.00 ¥315

42.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 ¥785

$2.09 ¥329

138.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥816

$4.14 ¥653

25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ¥535

$1.57 ¥247

116.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ¥486

$1.17 ¥185

164.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.37 ¥216

-13.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.81 ¥127

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥625

$4.02 ¥634

-1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,463

$9.72 ¥1,532

-4.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.94 ¥305

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ¥417

$3.19 ¥502

-16.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.35 ¥213

42.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.5 ¥7,948

$32.79 ¥5,166

53.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ¥488

$3.90 ¥615

-20.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$3.26 ¥513

-1.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$21.50 ¥3,387

-13.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.11 ¥175

-3.60%

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

$22.1K ¥3.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-0.91%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

3.39%

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

$129 ¥20.2K

$141 ¥22.2K

-8.84%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$24.00 ¥3,781

-3.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 ¥4,908

$30.50 ¥4,804

2.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ¥8,790

$51.7 ¥8,149

7.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.47 ¥1,019

$18.86 ¥2,971

-65.69%

Cinema Ticket

$12.62 ¥1,989

$12.85 ¥2,024

-1.79%

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

$695 ¥109.5K

$709 ¥111.6K

-1.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

12.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,065

$48.77 ¥7,683

4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 ¥5,217

$30.94 ¥4,874

7.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-8.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.4 ¥11.1K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-22.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥121.5K

$732 ¥115.3K

5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 ¥89.0K

$516 ¥81.3K

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ¥201.7K

$1,693 ¥266.7K

-24.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ¥158.5K

$773 ¥121.8K

30.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 ¥735.7K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-28.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,220 ¥507.3K

$3,063 ¥482.5K

5.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,608 ¥410.7K

$2,363 ¥372.2K

10.36%

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 Kawasaki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kawasaki

$565 38.3%

Osaka

$516 37% 8.7% $49

Groceries & Markets

Kawasaki

$333 22.5%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 8.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kawasaki

$183 12.4%

Osaka

$195 14% 7% $13

Eating Out

Kawasaki

$138 9.3%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 2.9% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Kawasaki

$99 6.7%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 10.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Kawasaki

$81 5.5%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 4.5% $3.6

Getting Around

Kawasaki

$77 5.2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 24.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $771 in Kawasaki versus $732 in Osaka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Kawasaki. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki versus $32 in Osaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $305 – making Osaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

Same time as Kawasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,538,262

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Kawasaki Osaka 390 km

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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

Kawasaki vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kawasaki costs about 6% more than Osaka, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,214 per month in Kawasaki and $2,094 in Osaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $771 in Kawasaki and $732 in Osaka. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Kawasaki and $32 in Osaka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,476 in Kawasaki and $1,396 in Osaka. That makes Osaka about 5% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,476 in Kawasaki and $1,396 in Osaka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Osaka costs $1,396 versus $1,476 in Kawasaki. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Osaka. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kawasaki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.