Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,400 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Mexico City $1,561
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Mexico City $2,440
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Mexico City $3,319
Osaka $2,582

Living in Mexico City is roughly 12% more expensive than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Osaka 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$202

$6.19 ¥978

79.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$891

$31.80 ¥5,026

54.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$204

$4.93 ¥780

127.79%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$68.4

$3.00 ¥474

25.33%

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

$1.65 MX$30.05

$1.45 ¥228

13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.27

$0.72 ¥113

77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.2

$2.62 ¥415

24.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$103

$3.91 ¥618

44.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$32.92

$1.46 ¥230

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$1.31 ¥207

124.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.27

$5.25 ¥830

-60.95%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.2

$2.03 ¥321

44.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$217

$9.77 ¥1,544

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$173

$9.22 ¥1,458

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$270

$17.95 ¥2,838

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.2

$3.29 ¥519

-4.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.65

$2.00 ¥317

0.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$37.75

$2.11 ¥333

-1.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.35

$4.11 ¥649

-45.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.47

$1.51 ¥239

36.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.14

$1.19 ¥187

57.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.93

$1.30 ¥206

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.47

$0.86 ¥137

56.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$98.4

$3.82 ¥604

41.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$307

$9.74 ¥1,540

73.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.09

$1.87 ¥296

5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$78.7

$3.15 ¥498

37.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.27

$1.34 ¥211

-74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$368

$32.68 ¥5,165

-38.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.11

$3.85 ¥609

-45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.65

$3.19 ¥504

-83.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$98.3

$21.93 ¥3,466

-75.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$1.10 ¥173

38.18%

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

$21.7K MX$395.3K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

1.02%

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

$24.8K MX$451.4K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

63.98%

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

$63.0 MX$1,145

$140 ¥22.1K

-55.05%

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

$28.88 MX$525

$24.14 ¥3,816

19.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$617

$30.58 ¥4,834

10.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,015

$49.41 ¥7,810

12.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$453

$18.41 ¥2,910

35.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$123

$12.27 ¥1,939

-44.82%

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

$428 MX$7,781

$511 ¥80.8K

-16.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$216.0K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

-9.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,274

$47.50 ¥7,508

47.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$977

$30.12 ¥4,761

78.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,997

$73.4 ¥11.6K

49.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,096

$91.0 ¥14.4K

26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.3K

$704 ¥111.2K

51.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.2K

$508 ¥80.3K

32.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.3K

$1,751 ¥276.8K

35.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$22.9K

$765 ¥120.9K

64.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$67.6K

$6,208 ¥981.2K

-40.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$35.9K

$1,938 ¥306.4K

1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.1K

$2,346 ¥370.8K

-57.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.21

411.31%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 24.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 7.9% $26

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 37.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 30.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 54.9% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 6.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 119% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 135% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $301 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Osaka 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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

Mexico City vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Osaka differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $1,400 including rent). Osaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 135% 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $704 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 62% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Osaka but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Osaka 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, Mexico City 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 Osaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.