Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagasaki and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagasaki: $1,287 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nagasaki, Japan
Osaka, Japan
Nagasaki
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,287
/mo nomad
Osaka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,396
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Nagasaki versus $1,396 in Osaka.

  • Nagasaki $1,287
  • Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,907 in Nagasaki versus $2,027 in Osaka.

  • Nagasaki $1,907
  • Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,527 in Nagasaki versus $2,658 in Osaka.

  • Nagasaki $2,527
  • Osaka $2,658

Living in Nagasaki costs roughly 8% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nagasaki is 5% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.03 ¥792
$6.50 ¥1,024
-22.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.07 ¥3,004
$31.93 ¥5,029
-40.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.10 ¥803
$5.15 ¥812
-0.97%
Cappuccino
$3.63 ¥572
$3.03 ¥477
19.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 ¥164
$1.39 ¥220
-25.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ¥120
$0.71 ¥112
7.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 ¥341
$2.75 ¥433
-21.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 ¥355
$3.89 ¥612
-41.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥245
$1.46 ¥229
6.16%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 ¥290
$1.30 ¥204
41.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.21 ¥979
$5.46 ¥861
13.74%
Eggs
$2.03 ¥320
$2.03 ¥320
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.36 ¥1,475
$9.63 ¥1,516
-2.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ¥506
$9.45 ¥1,489
-66.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.33 ¥3,045
$18.58 ¥2,926
4.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.56 ¥561
$3.39 ¥534
5.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 ¥288
$2.00 ¥315
-8.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.88 ¥453
$2.09 ¥329
37.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 ¥514
$4.14 ¥653
-21.26%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 ¥353
$1.57 ¥247
42.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.65 ¥417
$1.17 ¥185
126.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 ¥163
$1.37 ¥216
-24.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ¥152
$0.81 ¥127
19.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 ¥609
$4.02 ¥634
-3.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.50 ¥1,024
$9.72 ¥1,532
-33.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 ¥269
$1.94 ¥305
-11.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ¥291
$3.19 ¥502
-42.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.27 ¥200
$1.35 ¥213
-5.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.4 ¥8,888
$32.79 ¥5,166
72.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.12 ¥649
$3.90 ¥615
5.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.40 ¥378
$3.26 ¥513
-26.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.66 ¥2,782
$21.50 ¥3,387
-17.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 ¥170
$1.11 ¥175
-2.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K ¥3.6M
$22.3K ¥3.5M
2.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.5K ¥2.4M
$14.9K ¥2.3M
4.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 ¥33.8K
$141 ¥22.2K
52.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.77 ¥3,902
$24.00 ¥3,781
3.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.03 ¥5,203
$30.50 ¥4,804
8.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ¥8,242
$51.7 ¥8,149
1.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$18.86 ¥2,971
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.66 ¥1,995
$12.85 ¥2,024
-1.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$706 ¥111.2K
$709 ¥111.6K
-0.36%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ¥2.0M
$13.2K ¥2.1M
-6.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.40 ¥7,624
$48.77 ¥7,683
-0.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.87 ¥4,075
$30.94 ¥4,874
-16.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.7 ¥10.7K
$72.9 ¥11.5K
-7.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.74 ¥7,363
$90.8 ¥14.3K
-48.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 ¥86.6K
$732 ¥115.3K
-24.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 ¥58.9K
$516 ¥81.3K
-27.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 ¥170.9K
$1,693 ¥266.7K
-35.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$743 ¥117.0K
$773 ¥121.8K
-3.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,205 ¥662.3K
$6,542 ¥1.0M
-35.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,287 ¥360.3K
$3,063 ¥482.5K
-25.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nagasaki
Osaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$2,363 ¥372.2K
-
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 Nagasaki: 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
Nagasaki
$374
Osaka
$516 37.9% $142
Groceries & Markets
Nagasaki
$279
Osaka
$305 9.5% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nagasaki
$272
Osaka
$195 28.2% $77
Eating Out
Nagasaki
$122
Osaka
$134 10% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Nagasaki
$85
Osaka
$110 28.9% $25
Getting Around
Nagasaki
$78
Osaka
$58 24.8% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Nagasaki
$78
Osaka
$77 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $550 in Nagasaki and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Nagasaki vs $32 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $305 per month, with Nagasaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Nagasaki
🇯🇵 Osaka
🕒 Local time
05:44 5:44 AM
05:44 5:44 AM
Same time as Nagasaki
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
409,118
2,691,185
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nagasaki Osaka 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Nagasaki
  • Osaka

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Nagasaki vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nagasaki cheaper than Osaka?
Nagasaki is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,931 in Nagasaki 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.
What is the rent difference between Nagasaki and Osaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $550 in Nagasaki versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Nagasaki and in Osaka?
Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Nagasaki or in Osaka?
Dining out is cheaper in Nagasaki – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Nagasaki or in Osaka?
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.
Which city is safer, Nagasaki or Osaka?
Safety-wise, Nagasaki and Osaka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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