Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Hirakata

For one person, living is cheaper in Hirakata: $1,220 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Hirakata
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Hirakata Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Hirakata

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Hirakata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,220 in Hirakata.

Osaka $1,378
Hirakata $1,220

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,929 in Hirakata.

Osaka $2,005
Hirakata $1,929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,638 in Hirakata.

Osaka $2,632
Hirakata $2,638

Living in Osaka is roughly 13% more expensive than in Hirakata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Hirakata is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$8.59 ¥1,356

-27.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$31.38 ¥4,958

1.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$4.97 ¥786

-1.41%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$2.90 ¥458

1.72%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$1.29 ¥204

11.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.72 ¥114

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$3.07 ¥486

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.44 ¥228

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.31 ¥206

2.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$5.49 ¥867

-4.37%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.05 ¥324

4.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$9.33 ¥1,474

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$6.93 ¥1,095

33.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$17.25 ¥2,725

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$3.39 ¥536

1.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.94 ¥307

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$3.10 ¥489

-35.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$4.13 ¥652

-1.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$4.03 ¥637

-61.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$3.82 ¥603

-69.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.36 ¥216

-4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.88 ¥138

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.94 ¥623

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$9.69 ¥1,531

-0.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$2.61 ¥412

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.13 ¥495

3.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.49 ¥236

-6.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$52.9 ¥8,365

-38.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.24 ¥512

13.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$3.23 ¥510

-4.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$15.59 ¥2,462

39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.06 ¥168

2.83%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

1.44%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

-1.50%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$114 ¥18.1K

21.53%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$23.50 ¥3,713

4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$30.41 ¥4,805

0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$52.5 ¥8,291

-6.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

$6.47 ¥1,022

179.13%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$11.43 ¥1,806

11.29%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$513 ¥81.1K

-0.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$13.0K ¥2.1M

-1.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$48.40 ¥7,646

0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$30.44 ¥4,810

1.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$61.5 ¥9,710

20.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$525 ¥83.0K

33.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$336 ¥53.1K

51.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,121 ¥177.1K

52.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$729 ¥115.2K

5.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,201 ¥663.7K

47.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,730 ¥273.3K

10.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

$1,904 ¥300.9K

27.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.02

9.41%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hirakata: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Hirakata

$336 27.5% 34.2% $175

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Hirakata

$308 25.3% 2.1% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Hirakata

$168 13.8% 13.3% $26

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Hirakata

$150 12.3% 15.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Hirakata

$104 8.5% 5.8% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Hirakata

$75 6.2% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Hirakata

$78 6.4% 37.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $525 in Hirakata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $31.00 in Hirakata. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $308, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Hirakata

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

402,495

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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

Osaka vs Hirakata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Hirakata differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,220 including rent). Hirakata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Osaka, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $699 in Osaka versus $525 in Hirakata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hirakata runs roughly 64% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $510 in Osaka versus $513 in Hirakata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,220 in Hirakata versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hirakata but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Hirakata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Hirakata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hirakata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.