Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narita and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in Narita versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Narita $1,203
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,912 in Narita versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Narita $1,912
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,620 in Narita versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Narita $2,620
Osaka $2,658

Living in Narita costs roughly 14% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Narita is 12% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 ¥903

$6.50 ¥1,024

-11.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.80 ¥6,585

$31.93 ¥5,029

30.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.42 ¥697

$5.15 ¥812

-14.17%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ¥512

$3.03 ¥477

7.26%

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

$0.78 ¥124

$1.39 ¥220

-43.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥115

$0.71 ¥112

2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ¥326

$2.75 ¥433

-24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.89 ¥612

-17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥196

$1.46 ¥229

-14.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.30 ¥204

32.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 ¥572

$5.46 ¥861

-33.52%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥313

$2.03 ¥320

-2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 ¥1,624

$9.63 ¥1,516

7.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 ¥965

$9.45 ¥1,489

-35.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 ¥2,260

$18.58 ¥2,926

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 ¥918

$3.39 ¥534

71.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ¥430

$2.00 ¥315

36.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.09 ¥329

39.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ¥655

$4.14 ¥653

0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 ¥416

$1.57 ¥247

68.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥423

$1.17 ¥185

129.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.37 ¥216

-5.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.81 ¥127

1.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥596

$4.02 ¥634

-5.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 ¥979

$9.72 ¥1,532

-36.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥282

$1.94 ¥305

-7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥329

$3.19 ¥502

-34.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.35 ¥213

9.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.9 ¥10.2K

$32.79 ¥5,166

97.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥512

$3.90 ¥615

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ¥255

$3.26 ¥513

-50.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.95 ¥3,300

$21.50 ¥3,387

-2.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ¥162

$1.11 ¥175

-7.21%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-2.39%

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

$16.1K ¥2.5M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

8.25%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$141 ¥22.2K

-7.29%

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

$24.14 ¥3,802

$24.00 ¥3,781

0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.35 ¥4,465

$30.50 ¥4,804

-7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,245

$51.7 ¥8,149

1.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,971

Cinema Ticket

$11.49 ¥1,809

$12.85 ¥2,024

-10.58%

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

$828 ¥130.4K

$709 ¥111.6K

16.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

12.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,808

$48.77 ¥7,683

27.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.42 ¥5,736

$30.94 ¥4,874

17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,610

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-16.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 ¥85.0K

$732 ¥115.3K

-26.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.6K

$516 ¥81.3K

-35.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 ¥142.0K

$1,693 ¥266.7K

-46.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.2K

$773 ¥121.8K

-9.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,825 ¥602.5K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-41.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 ¥364.9K

$3,063 ¥482.5K

-24.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,258 ¥198.1K

$2,363 ¥372.2K

-46.77%

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 Narita: 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

Narita

$334 27.7%

Osaka

$516 37% 54.6% $182

Groceries & Markets

Narita

$289 24%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Narita

$183 15.2%

Osaka

$195 14% 6.7% $12

Eating Out

Narita

$121 10.1%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 10.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Narita

$119 9.9%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 8% $9.5

Getting Around

Narita

$82 6.8%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 28.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Narita

$75 6.3%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 2.8% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $540 in Narita and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Narita vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $305, with Narita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Narita

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

Same time as Narita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,613

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

Narita vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Narita. 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: $540 in Narita 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 49% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $828 in Narita 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, Narita and Osaka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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