Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mito and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Mito: $1,208 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Mito
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Mito Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Mito

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,208

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Mito versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Mito $1,208
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,947 in Mito versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Mito $1,947
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,686 in Mito versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Mito $2,686
Osaka $2,658

Living in Mito costs roughly 13% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mito is 11% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥988

$6.50 ¥1,024

-3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.72 ¥6,414

$31.93 ¥5,029

27.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥802

$5.15 ¥812

-1.17%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ¥546

$3.03 ¥477

14.52%

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

$1.11 ¥175

$1.39 ¥220

-20.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.71 ¥112

12.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ¥407

$2.75 ¥433

-5.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥495

$3.89 ¥612

-19.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥218

$1.46 ¥229

-4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥277

$1.30 ¥204

35.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 ¥560

$5.46 ¥861

-34.80%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥318

$2.03 ¥320

-0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ¥1,633

$9.63 ¥1,516

7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 ¥945

$9.45 ¥1,489

-36.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.65 ¥2,307

$18.58 ¥2,926

-21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 ¥897

$3.39 ¥534

67.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ¥425

$2.00 ¥315

35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 ¥463

$2.09 ¥329

40.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥646

$4.14 ¥653

-0.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 ¥400

$1.57 ¥247

61.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$1.17 ¥185

124.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.37 ¥216

-9.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥121

$0.81 ¥127

-4.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥583

$4.02 ¥634

-7.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,016

$9.72 ¥1,532

-33.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$1.94 ¥305

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥322

$3.19 ¥502

-35.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.35 ¥213

14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$32.79 ¥5,166

98.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.90 ¥615

-21.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥432

$3.26 ¥513

-15.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.66 ¥3,254

$21.50 ¥3,387

-3.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.11 ¥175

0.90%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-3.12%

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

$15.7K ¥2.5M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

5.43%

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

$130 ¥20.5K

$141 ¥22.2K

-7.86%

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

$24.70 ¥3,890

$24.00 ¥3,781

2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.70 ¥4,994

$30.50 ¥4,804

3.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.13 ¥7,739

$51.7 ¥8,149

-5.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,971

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 ¥2,092

$12.85 ¥2,024

3.35%

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

$831 ¥130.9K

$709 ¥111.6K

17.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

13.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ¥9,887

$48.77 ¥7,683

28.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.11 ¥5,846

$30.94 ¥4,874

19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 ¥9,653

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥15.9K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ¥87.8K

$732 ¥115.3K

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥49.9K

$516 ¥81.3K

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 ¥162.9K

$1,693 ¥266.7K

-38.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 ¥115.4K

$773 ¥121.8K

-5.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,884 ¥769.3K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-25.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,182 ¥343.7K

$3,063 ¥482.5K

-28.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

2.21

19.46%

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

Last update for Mito: 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

Mito

$317 26.2%

Osaka

$516 37% 62.8% $199

Groceries & Markets

Mito

$289 23.9%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mito

$186 15.4%

Osaka

$195 14% 4.9% $9.2

Eating Out

Mito

$134 11.1%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mito

$118 9.8%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 7.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Mito

$88 7.3%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 33.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mito

$76 6.3%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 2.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $557 in Mito and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41 in Mito vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $305, with Mito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Mito

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

Same time as Mito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,047

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

Mito vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Osaka. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,811 in Mito and $2,094 in Osaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $557 in Mito versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Osaka – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Mito. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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, Mito and Osaka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.