Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Kagoshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,135 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Kagoshima

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

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Osaka vs $1,135 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Osaka $1,396
Kagoshima $1,135

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Osaka vs $1,887 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Osaka $2,027
Kagoshima $1,887

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Osaka vs $2,639 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Osaka $2,658
Kagoshima $2,639

Osaka costs about 23% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Osaka sits 3% above the global median, while Kagoshima is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,024

$6.39 ¥1,006

1.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,029

$33.97 ¥5,350

-6.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.34 ¥842

-3.56%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$2.97 ¥468

2.02%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.04 ¥164

33.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.75 ¥118

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.50 ¥394

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥612

$2.21 ¥348

76.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥229

$1.31 ¥207

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.15 ¥182

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥861

$5.15 ¥811

6.02%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.05 ¥324

-0.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,516

$17.94 ¥2,826

-46.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,489

$5.29 ¥833

78.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,926

$18.77 ¥2,957

-1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥534

$3.71 ¥585

-8.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$1.86 ¥293

7.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.83 ¥446

-26.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$3.43 ¥541

20.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.09 ¥329

-24.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.88 ¥296

-37.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.03 ¥163

33.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.80 ¥126

1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.85 ¥607

4.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,532

$6.20 ¥977

56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.21 ¥191

60.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$1.84 ¥290

73.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.25 ¥196

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,166

$56.7 ¥8,927

-42.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥615

$4.12 ¥649

-5.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥513

$2.34 ¥369

39.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,387

$11.30 ¥1,780

90.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-1.16%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

-2.65%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$188 ¥29.6K

-24.89%

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

$24.00 ¥3,781

$24.69 ¥3,890

-2.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,804

$31.51 ¥4,963

-3.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,149

$52.1 ¥8,207

-0.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,971

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,024

$11.96 ¥1,884

7.44%

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

$709 ¥111.6K

$703 ¥110.8K

0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$12.4K ¥1.9M

7.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,683

$48.66 ¥7,665

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,874

$26.33 ¥4,147

17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

11.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$76.3 ¥12.0K

18.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.3K

$550 ¥86.6K

33.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.3K

$219 ¥34.5K

135.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥266.7K

$957 ¥150.8K

76.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.8K

$730 ¥115.0K

5.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,461 ¥702.6K

46.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥482.5K

$2,528 ¥398.3K

21.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.2K

$1,861 ¥293.1K

26.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.97

12.18%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kagoshima: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Kagoshima

$219 19.3% 57.6% $297

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Kagoshima

$294 25.9% 3.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Kagoshima

$244 21.5% 24.8% $48

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Kagoshima

$127 11.2% 5.1% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Kagoshima

$98 8.6% 11% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Kagoshima

$76 6.7% 1.8% $1.4

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Kagoshima

$77 6.8% 32.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $732 in Osaka versus $550 in Kagoshima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Osaka. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Osaka versus $34 in Kagoshima. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Osaka vs $294 in Kagoshima – so Kagoshima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

593,128

💱 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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Osaka Kagoshima 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Kagoshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka costs about 23% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,094 per month in Osaka and $1,702 in Kagoshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kagoshima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $732 in Osaka.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Osaka. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $709 per month in Osaka and $703 in Kagoshima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,396 in Osaka and $1,135 in Kagoshima. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Osaka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,135 in Kagoshima to $1,396 in Osaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kagoshima. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Osaka makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.