Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $974 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$974

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $974 in Kurume versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Kurume $974
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,536 in Kurume versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Kurume $1,536
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,097 in Kurume versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Kurume $2,097
Osaka $2,632

Living in Kurume costs roughly 29% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurume is 28% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.29 ¥677

$6.25 ¥987

-31.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.69 ¥6,744

$31.70 ¥5,008

34.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.77 ¥595

$4.90 ¥774

-23.06%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ¥303

$2.95 ¥466

-34.92%

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

$0.68 ¥107

$1.44 ¥228

-52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥84.3

$0.75 ¥119

-29.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$2.65 ¥419

20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥242

$3.87 ¥611

-60.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.44 ¥227

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.34 ¥211

-8.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 ¥815

$5.25 ¥830

-1.71%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥304

$2.14 ¥338

-10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,905

$9.33 ¥1,475

97.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ¥869

$9.22 ¥1,456

-40.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.69 ¥2,952

$18.39 ¥2,906

1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥561

$3.43 ¥541

3.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.92 ¥303

-5.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 ¥437

$1.99 ¥314

38.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 ¥532

$4.05 ¥640

-16.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.56 ¥247

43.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$1.17 ¥185

117.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.30 ¥205

-18.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.88 ¥139

6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.66 ¥579

$4.00 ¥631

-8.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 ¥984

$9.60 ¥1,517

-35.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.95 ¥308

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 ¥175

$3.24 ¥512

-65.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 ¥8,532

$32.34 ¥5,109

66.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥608

$3.69 ¥583

4.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 ¥332

$3.07 ¥486

-31.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.55 ¥2,772

$21.76 ¥3,437

-19.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ¥102

$1.09 ¥173

-41.28%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-2.62%

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

$17.4K ¥2.7M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

15.16%

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

$215 ¥34.0K

$139 ¥22.0K

54.68%

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

$24.40 ¥3,855

$24.50 ¥3,870

-0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.30 ¥3,523

$30.67 ¥4,846

-27.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,257

$49.03 ¥7,746

6.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$7.06 ¥1,115

$12.72 ¥2,010

-44.50%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$510 ¥80.5K

-75.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

-5.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.30 ¥7,630

$48.57 ¥7,673

-0.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.39 ¥1,957

$30.98 ¥4,894

-60.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.46 ¥3,864

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-67.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.27 ¥4,940

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-65.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$699 ¥110.5K

-24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$128 ¥20.2K

$510 ¥80.6K

-74.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ¥75.4K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-72.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$772 ¥122.0K

-59.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,253 ¥671.9K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-31.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,737 ¥274.4K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-8.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,541 ¥243.4K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-36.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.21

-10.86%

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

Last update for Kurume: October 18, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$299 30.7%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 0.8% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$262 26.9%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 25.8% $68

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$128 13.1%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 300% $383

Eating Out

Kurume

$93 9.5%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 40.3% $37

Getting Around

Kurume

$74 7.6%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 23.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$66 6.8%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 12.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$52 5.4%

Osaka

$110 8% 111% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Kurume and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 57% 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: $43.00 in Kurume vs $32.00 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $302, with Kurume cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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

Kurume vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume and Osaka differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($974 vs $1,378 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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: $529 in Kurume versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $32.00 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $974 in Kurume versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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, Kurume 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 Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.