Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Osaka $1,396
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Osaka $2,027
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Osaka $2,658
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Osaka is roughly 30% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,026

$6.33 ¥1,000

2.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,039

$41.23 ¥6,507

-22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$4.95 ¥782

4.04%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.50 ¥552

-13.43%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$0.92 ¥145

51.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.52 ¥82.6

36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$1.91 ¥301

43.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$2.74 ¥432

41.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.15 ¥182

26.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.28 ¥202

1.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$3.67 ¥579

48.77%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.08 ¥328

-2.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,519

$6.34 ¥1,001

51.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,492

$5.90 ¥932

60.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,932

$14.16 ¥2,236

31.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.82 ¥918

-41.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.34 ¥369

-14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.88 ¥455

-27.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$3.12 ¥492

32.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.54 ¥401

-38.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.85 ¥292

-36.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.27 ¥201

7.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.76 ¥120

6.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.83 ¥604

4.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$4.65 ¥734

109.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.81 ¥286

7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.03 ¥320

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$2.97 ¥469

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,176

$52.8 ¥8,338

-37.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.11 ¥491

25.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.63 ¥415

23.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,394

$20.31 ¥3,205

5.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.06 ¥168

4.72%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$15.6K ¥2.5M

42.91%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

15.67%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$133 ¥21.0K

6.06%

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

$24.00 ¥3,788

$22.18 ¥3,500

8.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,813

$31.10 ¥4,909

-1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,165

$43.19 ¥6,817

19.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,977

$30.97 ¥4,888

-39.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,028

$10.95 ¥1,729

17.35%

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

$709 ¥111.8K

$320 ¥50.6K

121.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$6,292 ¥993.1K

110.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,698

$31.66 ¥4,997

54.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,884

$33.72 ¥5,323

-8.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$43.55 ¥6,874

67.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$93.2 ¥14.7K

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.5K

$407 ¥64.2K

79.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$267 ¥42.1K

93.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.2K

$862 ¥136.1K

96.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.0K

$605 ¥95.5K

27.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$2,474 ¥390.5K

164.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.4K

$1,772 ¥279.6K

72.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.9K

$1,597 ¥252.0K

47.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.6

38.12%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 48.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 15.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 4.7% $9.3

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 4.1% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 16.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 15.9% $12

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 38.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $41 in Kawagoe. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $257, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

350,745

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $732 in Osaka versus $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Osaka – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Kawagoe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,396 per month in Osaka versus $1,075 in Kawagoe – Kawagoe is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

It comes down to priorities – Kawagoe wins on affordability, Osaka on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.