Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Mito

For one person, living is cheaper in Mito: $1,208 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Mito
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Mito Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Mito

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Mito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,208 in Mito.

Osaka $1,396
Mito $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,947 in Mito.

Osaka $2,027
Mito $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,686 in Mito.

Osaka $2,658
Mito $2,686

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Mito is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.27 ¥989

3.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$40.72 ¥6,421

-21.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.09 ¥803

1.18%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$3.47 ¥547

-12.68%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.11 ¥175

25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.80 ¥127

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.59 ¥408

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$3.14 ¥495

23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.76 ¥277

-26.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$3.56 ¥561

53.37%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.02 ¥318

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$10.37 ¥1,635

-7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.00 ¥946

57.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$14.65 ¥2,310

26.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.69 ¥898

-40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.70 ¥425

-25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.94 ¥463

-28.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.10 ¥647

0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.54 ¥401

-38.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.63 ¥415

-55.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.24 ¥196

10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.77 ¥121

5.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.70 ¥583

8.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.45 ¥1,017

50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.79 ¥283

8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.05 ¥323

55.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.55 ¥244

-12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-49.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.08 ¥486

26.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.74 ¥432

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$20.66 ¥3,258

4.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.12 ¥177

-0.89%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

3.22%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

-5.15%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$130 ¥20.5K

8.53%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$24.70 ¥3,894

-2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$31.70 ¥4,999

-3.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$49.13 ¥7,747

5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$13.28 ¥2,094

-3.24%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$831 ¥131.1K

-14.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-12.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$62.8 ¥9,898

-22.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$37.11 ¥5,852

-16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$61.3 ¥9,663

18.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$101 ¥15.9K

-10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$557 ¥87.8K

31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$317 ¥50.0K

62.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$1,034 ¥163.1K

63.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$733 ¥115.5K

5.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,884 ¥770.1K

33.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$2,182 ¥344.1K

40.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.64

-16.29%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Mito

$317 26.2% 38.6% $199

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Mito

$289 23.9% 5.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Mito

$186 15.4% 4.7% $9.2

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Mito

$134 11.1% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Mito

$118 9.8% 7.7% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Mito

$76 6.3% 2.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Mito

$88 7.3% 50.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $557 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $41 in Mito. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $289, with Mito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Mito

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

271,047

💱 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 Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Osaka. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,094 in Osaka and $1,811 in Mito 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: $732 in Osaka versus $557 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mito is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Mito are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.