Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Osaka

For one person, living costs are similar in Nagoya and in Osaka: $1,375 and $1,396 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,375

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,375 in Nagoya versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Nagoya $1,375
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,052 in Nagoya versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Nagoya $2,052
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Nagoya versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Nagoya $2,730
Osaka $2,658

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 ¥1,353

$6.50 ¥1,025

32.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ¥5,083

$31.93 ¥5,034

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 ¥816

$5.15 ¥812

0.58%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ¥403

$3.03 ¥477

-15.84%

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

$1.26 ¥199

$1.39 ¥220

-9.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.71 ¥112

28.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.11 ¥490

$2.75 ¥433

13.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥485

$3.89 ¥613

-20.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.46 ¥230

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥235

$1.30 ¥204

14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$5.46 ¥862

-22.71%

Eggs

$2.23 ¥352

$2.03 ¥320

9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ¥2,531

$9.63 ¥1,518

66.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,079

$9.45 ¥1,491

-27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 ¥2,692

$18.58 ¥2,929

-8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$8.56 ¥1,350

$3.39 ¥535

152.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 ¥478

$2.00 ¥315

51.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 ¥786

$2.09 ¥329

138.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.66 ¥1,208

$4.14 ¥653

85.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 ¥626

$1.57 ¥247

152.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.72 ¥744

$1.17 ¥185

303.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.37 ¥217

-13.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.81 ¥127

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ¥638

$4.02 ¥634

0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.94 ¥305

28.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥345

$3.19 ¥502

-31.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.2 ¥14.1K

$32.79 ¥5,171

172.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥496

$3.90 ¥616

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥453

$3.26 ¥514

-11.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.97 ¥2,518

$21.50 ¥3,390

-25.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-3.40%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

1.60%

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

$114 ¥18.0K

$141 ¥22.2K

-18.92%

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

$23.77 ¥3,748

$24.00 ¥3,785

-0.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.40 ¥4,951

$30.50 ¥4,809

2.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.67 ¥6,886

$51.7 ¥8,157

-15.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.90 ¥2,191

$18.86 ¥2,974

-26.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 ¥1,986

$12.85 ¥2,026

-2.02%

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

$687 ¥108.3K

$709 ¥111.7K

-3.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

11.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 ¥8,075

$48.77 ¥7,691

5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.35 ¥5,574

$30.94 ¥4,879

14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,750

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.9 ¥15.7K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥88.0K

$732 ¥115.4K

-23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ¥60.7K

$516 ¥81.4K

-25.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 ¥147.8K

$1,693 ¥267.0K

-44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$555 ¥87.5K

$773 ¥121.9K

-28.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,555 ¥560.5K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-45.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 ¥310.8K

$3,063 ¥483.0K

-35.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,881 ¥296.6K

$2,363 ¥372.6K

-20.40%

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 Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagoya

$385 28%

Osaka

$516 37% 34.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Nagoya

$382 27.8%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 20.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagoya

$169 12.3%

Osaka

$195 14% 15.3% $26

Eating Out

Nagoya

$145 10.6%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 7.9% $11

Getting Around

Nagoya

$112 8.2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 47.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nagoya

$112 8.1%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nagoya

$69 5%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 12.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $558 in Nagoya and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Nagoya vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $305, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

Same time as Nagoya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,236,000

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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

Nagoya vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Nagoya. 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: $558 in Nagoya versus $732 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 63% less than in Nagoya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $687 in Nagoya versus $709 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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