Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Osaka

For one person, living costs are similar in Kobe and in Osaka: $1,392 and $1,396 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Kobe $1,392
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Kobe $2,067
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Kobe $2,742
Osaka $2,658

Monthly costs are close between Kobe and Osaka; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kobe 2% above, Osaka 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,215

$6.50 ¥1,026

18.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,027

$31.93 ¥5,036

-0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥775

$5.15 ¥813

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥374

$3.03 ¥478

-21.78%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.39 ¥220

-14.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥90.0

$0.71 ¥113

-19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$2.75 ¥433

-22.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$3.89 ¥613

-40.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.46 ¥230

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.30 ¥205

3.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥657

$5.46 ¥862

-23.63%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥321

$2.03 ¥320

0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,989

$9.63 ¥1,518

30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,069

$9.45 ¥1,491

-28.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,692

$18.58 ¥2,931

-8.18%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,215

$3.39 ¥535

127.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$2.00 ¥315

53.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥783

$2.09 ¥329

137.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,216

$4.14 ¥654

86.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$1.57 ¥247

144.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.17 ¥185

194.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.37 ¥217

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.81 ¥128

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥548

$4.02 ¥634

-13.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,270

$9.72 ¥1,534

-17.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.94 ¥305

1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥229

$3.19 ¥502

-54.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.35 ¥213

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,847

$32.79 ¥5,173

90.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.90 ¥616

-20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥511

$3.26 ¥514

-0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,214

$21.50 ¥3,392

24.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.11 ¥176

-4.50%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-10.85%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

3.97%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$141 ¥22.2K

4.82%

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

$23.26 ¥3,669

$24.00 ¥3,786

-3.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,929

$30.50 ¥4,811

2.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,399

$51.7 ¥8,161

-9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,866

$18.86 ¥2,975

-37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,029

$12.85 ¥2,027

0.08%

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

$321 ¥50.6K

$709 ¥111.8K

-54.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥968.7K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

-53.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,983

$48.77 ¥7,694

3.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,946

$30.94 ¥4,881

-19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,254

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-36.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.3K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥109.0K

$732 ¥115.5K

-5.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.0K

$516 ¥81.4K

-10.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.6K

$1,693 ¥267.1K

-35.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.3K

$773 ¥122.0K

-4.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥682.3K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-33.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥456.5K

$3,063 ¥483.2K

-5.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥311.6K

$2,363 ¥372.7K

-16.41%

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 Kobe: October 25, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kobe

$463 33.3%

Osaka

$516 37% 11.5% $53

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 14.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

Osaka

$195 14% 3.4% $6.8

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 5.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 33.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 30% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 6.6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 20% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $305, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

Same time as Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.7 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kobe Osaka 28 km

From you

Kobe
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

Kobe vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Kobe. 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: $691 in Kobe versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Osaka pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 47% less than in Kobe. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kobe is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kobe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,392 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kobe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kobe 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kobe wins on affordability, Osaka on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.