Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,187 in Koriyama.

Osaka $1,378
Koriyama $1,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,881 in Koriyama.

Osaka $2,005
Koriyama $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,575 in Koriyama.

Osaka $2,632
Koriyama $2,575

Living in Osaka is roughly 16% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Koriyama is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$6.12 ¥967

2.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$31.16 ¥4,923

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.13 ¥810

-4.48%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$2.96 ¥468

-0.34%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$1.24 ¥195

16.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.78 ¥124

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.70 ¥426

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.17 ¥501

22.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.46 ¥230

-1.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.56 ¥246

-14.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$4.20 ¥664

25.00%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.01 ¥317

6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$10.18 ¥1,609

-8.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$6.65 ¥1,051

38.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$16.68 ¥2,635

10.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$3.65 ¥576

-6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.27 ¥358

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.89 ¥457

-31.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$4.07 ¥643

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.47 ¥390

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.55 ¥402

-54.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.29 ¥204

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.84 ¥133

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.85 ¥608

3.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$6.80 ¥1,074

41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.85 ¥293

5.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.11 ¥333

53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.52 ¥241

-8.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$53.0 ¥8,380

-39.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.22 ¥508

14.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.87 ¥453

6.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$18.64 ¥2,945

16.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.10 ¥174

-0.91%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

6.48%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

-0.86%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$134 ¥21.2K

3.47%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$24.63 ¥3,890

-0.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$31.55 ¥4,984

-2.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$52.2 ¥8,243

-6.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$12.02 ¥1,899

5.82%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$523 ¥82.7K

-2.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$12.6K ¥2.0M

1.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$49.37 ¥7,799

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$31.64 ¥4,999

-2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$61.0 ¥9,639

21.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$87.4 ¥13.8K

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$542 ¥85.6K

29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$325 ¥51.4K

57.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,102 ¥174.1K

55.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$739 ¥116.8K

4.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,230 ¥668.2K

46.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,778 ¥280.8K

7.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Koriyama

$325 27.4% 36.3% $185

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Koriyama

$287 24.2% 4.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Koriyama

$191 16.1% 1.9% $3.7

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Koriyama

$128 10.8% 1.6% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Koriyama

$103 8.7% 6.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Koriyama

$76 6.4% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Koriyama

$77 6.5% 34.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $542 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $31.00 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $287 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

327,692

💱 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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Osaka Koriyama 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Koriyama differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,187 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,067 in Osaka and $1,781 in Koriyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $699 in Osaka versus $542 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama 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 $523 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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 Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.