Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,189 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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 Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $1,396 per month in Osaka vs $1,189 in Morioka, rent included.

Osaka $1,396
Morioka $1,189

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Osaka vs $1,898 in Morioka, rent included.

Osaka $2,027
Morioka $1,898

A family of three spends $2,658 per month in Osaka vs $2,607 in Morioka, rent included.

Osaka $2,658
Morioka $2,607

Osaka costs about 17% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Osaka sits 3% above the global median, while Morioka is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$6.22 ¥982

4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,041

$32.27 ¥5,094

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.06 ¥482

-0.98%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.14 ¥180

21.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.80 ¥127

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$2.63 ¥415

4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.23 ¥511

20.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.47 ¥232

-0.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.54 ¥243

-15.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$4.08 ¥644

33.82%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.13 ¥336

-4.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$9.94 ¥1,569

-3.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,492

$7.45 ¥1,176

26.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,933

$16.63 ¥2,626

11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$4.03 ¥636

-15.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.08 ¥328

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$3.03 ¥479

-31.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$4.77 ¥752

-13.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.78 ¥438

-43.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.73 ¥431

-57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.33 ¥210

3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.91 ¥144

-10.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.57 ¥564

12.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$6.82 ¥1,077

42.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.67 ¥264

16.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.39 ¥378

33.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.47 ¥232

-8.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,178

$57.6 ¥9,086

-43.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.24 ¥511

20.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$3.11 ¥491

4.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,395

$19.05 ¥3,008

12.86%

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

$19.0K ¥3.0M

17.27%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.5K ¥2.4M

-4.04%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$137 ¥21.6K

3.00%

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

$24.00 ¥3,790

$23.86 ¥3,768

0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,815

$31.17 ¥4,921

-2.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,168

$50.5 ¥7,975

2.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,028

$13.62 ¥2,151

-5.65%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$759 ¥119.8K

-6.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,700

$43.09 ¥6,803

13.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,885

$31.59 ¥4,987

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$69.6 ¥11.0K

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$102 ¥16.1K

-10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$626 ¥98.9K

16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$300 ¥47.3K

72.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.3K

$916 ¥144.7K

84.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$706 ¥111.5K

9.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,709 ¥743.5K

38.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.6K

$2,118 ¥334.4K

44.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.1K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Morioka

$300 25.2% 41.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Morioka

$297 25% 2.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Morioka

$192 16.1% 1.8% $3.6

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Morioka

$129 10.9% 3.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Morioka

$111 9.3% 1.1% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Morioka

$78 6.5% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Morioka

$82 6.9% 40.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $732 in Osaka versus $626 in Morioka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Osaka versus $32 in Morioka. Groceries tell a different story – $305 in Osaka vs $297 in Morioka – so Morioka wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

289,731

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Osaka Morioka 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Osaka
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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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,396 in Osaka, $1,189 in Morioka – Morioka comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,094 per month in Osaka and $1,783 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $626 there versus $732 in Osaka.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,189 in Morioka. That makes Morioka about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $709 per month in Osaka and $759 in Morioka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,396 in Osaka and $1,189 in Morioka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Osaka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,189 in Morioka 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.