Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nara, Japan and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,233 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,233

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,233 in Nara versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Nara $1,233
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,851 in Nara versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Nara $1,851
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,468 in Nara versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Nara $2,468
Osaka $2,658

Living in Nara costs roughly 12% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nara is 9% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.33 ¥996

$6.50 ¥1,024

-2.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.27 ¥5,083

$31.93 ¥5,029

1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥785

$5.15 ¥812

-3.11%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ¥394

$3.03 ¥477

-17.49%

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

$1.26 ¥198

$1.39 ¥220

-9.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 ¥506

$2.75 ¥433

16.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ¥488

$3.89 ¥612

-20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥247

$1.46 ¥229

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.30 ¥204

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 ¥649

$5.46 ¥861

-24.54%

Eggs

$2.23 ¥352

$2.03 ¥320

9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 ¥1,537

$9.63 ¥1,516

1.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 ¥1,114

$9.45 ¥1,489

-25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.13 ¥2,855

$18.58 ¥2,926

-2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ¥520

$3.39 ¥534

-2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$2.00 ¥315

-3.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ¥334

$2.09 ¥329

1.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥642

$4.14 ¥653

-1.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.57 ¥247

-4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.17 ¥185

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.37 ¥216

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥138

$0.81 ¥127

8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥612

$4.02 ¥634

-3.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 ¥1,502

$9.72 ¥1,532

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.94 ¥305

-3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥339

$3.19 ¥502

-32.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.35 ¥213

9.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 ¥11.7K

$32.79 ¥5,166

126.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥497

$3.90 ¥615

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 ¥461

$3.26 ¥513

-10.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.66 ¥2,467

$21.50 ¥3,387

-27.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥169

$1.11 ¥175

-2.70%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-2.50%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

3.13%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$141 ¥22.2K

-16.38%

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

$24.81 ¥3,909

$24.00 ¥3,781

3.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 ¥4,843

$30.50 ¥4,804

0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 ¥13.1K

$51.7 ¥8,149

60.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.58 ¥1,195

$18.86 ¥2,971

-59.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 ¥1,980

$12.85 ¥2,024

-2.18%

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

$693 ¥109.1K

$709 ¥111.6K

-2.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K ¥2.1M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.11 ¥7,420

$48.77 ¥7,683

-3.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.96 ¥4,877

$30.94 ¥4,874

0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.8 ¥9,728

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 ¥14.2K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.8K

$732 ¥115.3K

-43.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥53.5K

$516 ¥81.3K

-34.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 ¥131.1K

$1,693 ¥266.7K

-50.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥86.1K

$773 ¥121.8K

-29.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 ¥420.7K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-59.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ¥321.3K

$3,063 ¥482.5K

-33.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,123 ¥176.8K

$2,363 ¥372.2K

-52.49%

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 Nara: 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

Nara

$340 27.6%

Osaka

$516 37% 51.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Nara

$285 23.1%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 7.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nara

$173 14.1%

Osaka

$195 14% 12.7% $22

Eating Out

Nara

$126 10.2%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 6.4% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Nara

$108 8.8%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 28.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Nara

$103 8.4%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 6% $6.2

Getting Around

Nara

$98 8%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 40.4% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Nara and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Nara vs $32 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $305 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nara

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

Same time as Nara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

355,280

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

On the map

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Nara Osaka 28 km

From you

Nara
Osaka

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

Nara vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Nara. 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: $411 in Nara versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,233 per month in Nara versus $1,396 in Osaka – Nara is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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