Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,189 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Osaka vs $1,189 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Osaka $1,396
Asahikawa $1,189

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Osaka vs $1,948 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Osaka $2,027
Asahikawa $1,948

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Osaka vs $2,706 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Osaka $2,658
Asahikawa $2,706

Osaka costs about 17% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Osaka sits 3% above the global median, while Asahikawa is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,024

$6.31 ¥995

3.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,029

$32.58 ¥5,132

-2.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$4.55 ¥717

13.19%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$3.10 ¥488

-2.26%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.26 ¥199

10.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.71 ¥111

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.87 ¥452

-4.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥612

$3.00 ¥473

29.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥229

$1.52 ¥240

-3.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.52 ¥239

-14.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥861

$3.95 ¥622

38.23%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.26 ¥357

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,516

$10.74 ¥1,691

-10.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,489

$6.72 ¥1,058

40.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$16.29 ¥2,566

14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥534

$3.20 ¥504

5.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.62 ¥413

-23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.46 ¥387

-15.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.62 ¥728

-10.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.73 ¥430

-42.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.31 ¥364

-49.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥216

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.87 ¥137

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.94 ¥620

2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,532

$7.66 ¥1,207

26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.76 ¥277

10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$1.87 ¥295

70.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.64 ¥259

-17.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,166

$53.1 ¥8,371

-38.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥615

$3.07 ¥484

27.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥513

$2.68 ¥422

21.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,387

$21.03 ¥3,313

2.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.17 ¥184

-5.13%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-1.20%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$13.6K ¥2.2M

8.80%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$154 ¥24.3K

-8.49%

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

$24.00 ¥3,781

$25.29 ¥3,983

-5.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,804

$34.28 ¥5,400

-11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,149

$55.3 ¥8,710

-6.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,971

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,024

$12.20 ¥1,921

5.33%

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

$709 ¥111.6K

$630 ¥99.2K

12.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$11.3K ¥1.8M

16.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,683

$51.4 ¥8,093

-5.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,874

$27.99 ¥4,409

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$59.6 ¥9,393

22.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$102 ¥16.1K

-11.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.3K

$611 ¥96.3K

19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.3K

$291 ¥45.8K

77.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥266.7K

$987 ¥155.5K

71.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.8K

$809 ¥127.5K

-4.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,455 ¥701.7K

46.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥482.5K

$2,602 ¥409.9K

17.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.2K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Asahikawa

$291 24.4% 43.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Asahikawa

$291 24.5% 4.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Asahikawa

$214 18% 9.3% $18

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Asahikawa

$130 10.9% 3.1% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Asahikawa

$109 9.1% 0.9% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Asahikawa

$80 6.7% 2.9% $2.3

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Asahikawa

$76 6.4% 30.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $732 in Osaka versus $611 in Asahikawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Osaka versus $33 in Asahikawa. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Osaka vs $291 in Asahikawa – so Asahikawa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

329,306

💱 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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Between locations

Osaka Asahikawa 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,396 in Osaka, $1,189 in Asahikawa – Asahikawa comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,094 per month in Osaka and $1,784 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asahikawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $611 there versus $732 in Osaka.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Osaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $709 per month in Osaka and $630 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,396 in Osaka and $1,189 in Asahikawa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.