Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

Osaka $1,378
Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

Osaka $2,005
Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

Osaka $2,632
Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Osaka is roughly 7% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Kumamoto is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$7.13 ¥1,126

-12.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$31.86 ¥5,034

-0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.96 ¥942

-17.79%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.22 ¥508

-8.39%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$1.05 ¥166

37.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.70 ¥111

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$3.74 ¥591

-29.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$2.26 ¥357

71.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.36 ¥215

5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.90 ¥299

-29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$6.64 ¥1,050

-20.93%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$1.86 ¥294

15.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$17.81 ¥2,814

-47.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$5.47 ¥865

68.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$18.87 ¥2,981

-2.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$3.72 ¥587

-7.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.86 ¥294

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.78 ¥439

-28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$3.36 ¥530

20.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.16 ¥342

-27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.61 ¥413

-55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.04 ¥164

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.91 ¥143

-3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.94 ¥623

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$5.61 ¥887

71.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.70 ¥268

14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.83 ¥290

77.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.50 ¥236

-7.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$52.5 ¥8,291

-38.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.84 ¥606

-3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.00 ¥317

53.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$18.05 ¥2,852

20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.06 ¥167

2.83%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

1.35%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-14.02%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$210 ¥33.2K

-33.88%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$24.28 ¥3,835

0.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$33.30 ¥5,261

-7.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$52.9 ¥8,359

-7.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$10.95 ¥1,729

16.16%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$126 ¥20.0K

302.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$12.4K ¥2.0M

3.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$48.56 ¥7,672

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$25.99 ¥4,106

19.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$65.3 ¥10.3K

13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$47.20 ¥7,457

93.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$541 ¥85.4K

29.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$328 ¥51.9K

55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

52.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$723 ¥114.2K

6.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,158 ¥656.8K

48.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

9.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 35.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 3.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 37.9% $74

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 10.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 23.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 27% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $32.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $312 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

738,865

💱 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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Kumamoto differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,283 including rent). Kumamoto 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 $1,924 in Kumamoto 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 $541 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 62% 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 $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.