Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Aomori

For one person, living is cheaper in Aomori: $1,219 a month against $1,409 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
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Aomori Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,409

/mo nomad

Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Aomori

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Osaka and in Aomori actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Osaka versus $1,219 in Aomori.

Osaka $1,409
Aomori $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Osaka versus $1,911 in Aomori.

Osaka $2,057
Aomori $1,911

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Osaka versus $2,602 in Aomori.

Osaka $2,706
Aomori $2,602

Living in Osaka is roughly 16% more expensive than in Aomori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Aomori is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥994

$6.20 ¥982

1.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.41 ¥4,978

$32.12 ¥5,090

-2.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥775

$4.93 ¥782

-0.81%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥475

$3.11 ¥493

-3.86%

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

$1.43 ¥226

$1.16 ¥184

23.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.79 ¥126

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥435

$2.64 ¥418

3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ¥611

$3.14 ¥498

22.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.48 ¥235

-1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥205

$1.62 ¥256

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 ¥855

$4.22 ¥668

27.73%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥329

$2.10 ¥333

-1.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ¥1,672

$10.44 ¥1,654

1.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,612

$6.57 ¥1,042

54.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.32 ¥4,013

$16.53 ¥2,620

53.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ¥528

$3.64 ¥577

-8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ¥309

$2.28 ¥362

-14.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥323

$2.98 ¥472

-31.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 ¥655

$4.23 ¥670

-2.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥242

$2.47 ¥391

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥179

$2.61 ¥414

-56.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.23 ¥195

10.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.87 ¥137

-1.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥617

$3.93 ¥622

-1.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 ¥1,982

$6.79 ¥1,076

84.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥308

$1.89 ¥299

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥497

$2.10 ¥333

49.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.44 ¥227

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.27 ¥5,272

$58.0 ¥9,193

-42.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 ¥589

$3.14 ¥498

18.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥426

$2.92 ¥462

-7.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 ¥4,255

$18.36 ¥2,910

46.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.02 ¥162

2.94%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

2.31%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

-1.18%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$137 ¥21.7K

2.47%

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

$24.75 ¥3,922

$24.50 ¥3,883

1.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 ¥4,930

$31.77 ¥5,034

-2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥8,075

$50.7 ¥8,036

0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 ¥2,913

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 ¥1,995

$12.86 ¥2,038

-2.10%

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

$685 ¥108.6K

$705 ¥111.7K

-2.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$12.6K ¥2.0M

25.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.04 ¥7,613

$49.60 ¥7,859

-3.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ¥4,860

$31.35 ¥4,968

-2.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥11.8K

$62.5 ¥9,902

18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.3K

$89.4 ¥14.2K

0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥117.1K

$547 ¥86.6K

35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.8K

$344 ¥54.4K

46.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 ¥269.4K

$998 ¥158.2K

70.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.6K

$737 ¥116.8K

3.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,708 ¥1.1M

$4,272 ¥677.0K

57.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,145 ¥498.4K

$2,317 ¥367.2K

35.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ¥363.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

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

Last update for Osaka: October 31, 2026

Last update for Aomori: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$504 35.8%

Aomori

$344 28.2% 31.8% $160

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$337 23.9%

Aomori

$290 23.8% 13.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$196 13.9%

Aomori

$193 15.9% 1.5% $3

Eating Out

Osaka

$131 9.3%

Aomori

$129 10.6% 1.5% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.8%

Aomori

$105 8.6% 4.2% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$76 5.4%

Aomori

$76 6.3% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Osaka

$56 4%

Aomori

$81 6.7% 46.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Osaka and $547 in Aomori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31 in Osaka vs $32 in Aomori. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $290, with Aomori cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Aomori

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

275,192

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Osaka Aomori 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Osaka vs Aomori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,409 in Osaka and $1,219 in Aomori, so Aomori is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,113 in Osaka and $1,828 in Aomori 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: $739 in Osaka versus $547 in Aomori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $685 in Osaka versus $705 in Aomori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Aomori gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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