Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,142 a month against $1,409 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,409

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Ibaraki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Osaka versus $1,142 in Ibaraki.

Osaka $1,409
Ibaraki $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Osaka versus $1,768 in Ibaraki.

Osaka $2,057
Ibaraki $1,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Osaka versus $2,395 in Ibaraki.

Osaka $2,706
Ibaraki $2,395

Living in Osaka is roughly 23% more expensive than in Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Ibaraki is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥993

$6.20 ¥983

1.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.41 ¥4,975

$31.03 ¥4,915

1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥775

$5.22 ¥827

-6.32%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥474

$3.15 ¥499

-5.08%

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

$1.43 ¥226

$1.15 ¥182

24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.79 ¥125

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥434

$2.65 ¥419

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ¥611

$3.12 ¥494

23.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥231

$2.73 ¥432

-46.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.57 ¥248

-17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 ¥854

$4.10 ¥650

31.46%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥328

$2.03 ¥321

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ¥1,671

$10.34 ¥1,637

2.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,612

$6.54 ¥1,037

55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.32 ¥4,011

$16.75 ¥2,652

51.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ¥528

$3.71 ¥588

-10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ¥308

$2.28 ¥361

-14.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥323

$2.95 ¥467

-30.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 ¥654

$4.16 ¥659

-0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥241

$2.47 ¥392

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥179

$2.60 ¥412

-56.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.32 ¥209

3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.85 ¥134

1.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥616

$4.29 ¥680

-9.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 ¥1,981

$6.57 ¥1,040

90.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥307

$1.86 ¥295

4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥497

$2.08 ¥329

50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.64 ¥260

-19.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.27 ¥5,269

$57.8 ¥9,160

-42.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 ¥589

$4.75 ¥753

-21.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥426

$2.93 ¥464

-8.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 ¥4,253

$25.58 ¥4,051

4.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.09 ¥173

-3.67%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

2.56%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

-0.73%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$138 ¥21.8K

2.15%

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

$24.75 ¥3,919

$24.35 ¥3,857

1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 ¥4,927

$31.52 ¥4,991

-1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥8,071

$50.6 ¥8,017

0.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 ¥2,911

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 ¥1,994

$12.49 ¥1,978

0.80%

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

$685 ¥108.5K

$626 ¥99.2K

9.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.04 ¥7,609

$26.34 ¥4,171

82.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ¥4,858

$31.99 ¥5,067

-4.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥11.8K

$67.6 ¥10.7K

9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.3K

$81.0 ¥12.8K

11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥117.0K

$403 ¥63.8K

83.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.8K

$264 ¥41.9K

90.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 ¥269.3K

$1,028 ¥162.8K

65.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.6K

$527 ¥83.5K

44.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,708 ¥1.1M

$4,712 ¥746.3K

42.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,145 ¥498.1K

$2,384 ¥377.6K

31.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ¥363.5K

$2,498 ¥395.6K

-8.11%

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 Ibaraki: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$504 35.8%

Ibaraki

$264 23.2% 47.5% $239

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$337 23.9%

Ibaraki

$301 26.4% 10.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$196 13.9%

Ibaraki

$193 17% 1.5% $2.9

Eating Out

Osaka

$131 9.3%

Ibaraki

$130 11.4% 0.5% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.8%

Ibaraki

$93 8.2% 14.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$76 5.4%

Ibaraki

$76 6.6% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Osaka

$56 4%

Ibaraki

$84 7.3% 50.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Osaka and $403 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Osaka vs $31 in Ibaraki. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $301, with Ibaraki cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

287,730

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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From you

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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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,409 in Osaka and $1,142 in Ibaraki, so Ibaraki is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Osaka. 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: $739 in Osaka versus $403 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,409 per month in Osaka versus $1,142 in Ibaraki – Ibaraki is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.