Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,250 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,250

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,396 in Osaka, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,250
Osaka $1,396

A couple spends around $1,923 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,027 in Osaka, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,923
Osaka $2,027

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,658 in Osaka, rent included.

Kitakyushu $2,596
Osaka $2,658

Kitakyushu is about 10% cheaper than Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kitakyushu sits 8% below the global median, while Osaka is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 ¥1,107

$6.50 ¥1,024

8.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.97 ¥5,193

$31.93 ¥5,029

3.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.43 ¥855

$5.15 ¥812

5.44%

Cappuccino

$3.40 ¥536

$3.03 ¥477

12.21%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$1.39 ¥220

-23.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.71 ¥112

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ¥478

$2.75 ¥433

10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥343

$3.89 ¥612

-43.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.46 ¥229

-2.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.30 ¥204

-1.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 ¥833

$5.46 ¥861

-3.11%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥347

$2.03 ¥320

8.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,483

$9.63 ¥1,516

-2.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 ¥827

$9.45 ¥1,489

-44.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 ¥2,970

$18.58 ¥2,926

1.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ¥565

$3.39 ¥534

5.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$2.00 ¥315

-6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ¥440

$2.09 ¥329

33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$4.14 ¥653

-30.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥351

$1.57 ¥247

42.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥416

$1.17 ¥185

125.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.37 ¥216

-23.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.81 ¥127

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥639

$4.02 ¥634

0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 ¥982

$9.72 ¥1,532

-35.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥258

$1.94 ¥305

-15.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥270

$3.19 ¥502

-46.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥255

$1.35 ¥213

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.8 ¥8,941

$32.79 ¥5,166

73.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥626

$3.90 ¥615

2.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 ¥322

$3.26 ¥513

-37.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.83 ¥2,808

$21.50 ¥3,387

-17.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.11 ¥175

-5.41%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-9.21%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

3.59%

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

$196 ¥31.0K

$141 ¥22.2K

39.36%

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

$25.10 ¥3,954

$24.00 ¥3,781

4.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.21 ¥5,073

$30.50 ¥4,804

5.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ¥8,212

$51.7 ¥8,149

0.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$18.86 ¥2,971

-82.93%

Cinema Ticket

$12.65 ¥1,992

$12.85 ¥2,024

-1.56%

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

$379 ¥59.6K

$709 ¥111.6K

-46.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

-6.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 ¥7,648

$48.77 ¥7,683

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.37 ¥4,153

$30.94 ¥4,874

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ¥10.6K

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-8.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 ¥8,775

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-38.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.4K

$732 ¥115.3K

-24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 ¥53.2K

$516 ¥81.3K

-34.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 ¥158.3K

$1,693 ¥266.7K

-40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.7K

$773 ¥121.8K

-7.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥678.0K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-34.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,319 ¥365.2K

$3,063 ¥482.5K

-24.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,533 ¥241.5K

$2,363 ¥372.2K

-35.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

2.21

-23.53%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kitakyushu

$338 27%

Osaka

$516 37% 52.9% $178

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$275 22%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 11% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$254 20.3%

Osaka

$195 14% 23% $58

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$140 11.2%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 4.4% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$89 7.1%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 23.2% $21

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 24.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$77 6.2%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $555 in Kitakyushu 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 54% higher in Osaka. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu versus $32 in Osaka. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Kitakyushu vs $305 in Osaka – so Kitakyushu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

Same time as Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

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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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

Kitakyushu vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,250 in Kitakyushu, $1,396 in Osaka – Kitakyushu comes out roughly 10% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,875 per month in Kitakyushu and $2,094 in Osaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $732 in Osaka.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Osaka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Kitakyushu and $32 in Osaka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,250 in Kitakyushu and $1,396 in Osaka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kitakyushu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,250 in Kitakyushu to $1,396 in Osaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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