Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Nagoya

For one person, living costs are similar in Osaka and in Nagoya: $1,396 and $1,375 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Nagoya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,375 in Nagoya.

Osaka $1,396
Nagoya $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $2,052 in Nagoya.

Osaka $2,027
Nagoya $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,730 in Nagoya.

Osaka $2,658
Nagoya $2,730

Monthly costs are close between Osaka and Nagoya; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$8.58 ¥1,355

-24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,042

$32.23 ¥5,091

-0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥814

$5.18 ¥817

-0.58%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$2.55 ¥403

18.82%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.26 ¥199

10.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.91 ¥144

-21.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.11 ¥490

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.08 ¥486

26.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.51 ¥239

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.49 ¥235

-12.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$4.22 ¥667

29.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.23 ¥353

-8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$16.05 ¥2,535

-40.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,493

$6.84 ¥1,081

38.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,934

$17.07 ¥2,696

8.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$8.56 ¥1,352

-60.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$3.03 ¥479

-33.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$4.98 ¥787

-58.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$7.66 ¥1,210

-45.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$3.97 ¥627

-60.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥186

$4.72 ¥745

-75.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.18 ¥186

16.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.94 ¥148

-13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$4.05 ¥639

-0.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,536

$9.72 ¥1,535

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.50 ¥395

-22.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.19 ¥345

45.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.35 ¥213

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,179

$89.2 ¥14.1K

-63.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.15 ¥497

23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.87 ¥453

13.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,396

$15.97 ¥2,522

34.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.11 ¥175

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

3.52%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-1.57%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$114 ¥18.1K

23.33%

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

$24.00 ¥3,791

$23.77 ¥3,754

0.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,816

$31.40 ¥4,959

-2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,170

$43.67 ¥6,897

18.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,979

$13.90 ¥2,195

35.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,029

$12.59 ¥1,989

2.07%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$687 ¥108.5K

3.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$14.7K ¥2.3M

-9.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,703

$51.2 ¥8,088

-4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,887

$35.35 ¥5,582

-12.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$61.8 ¥9,765

17.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$99.9 ¥15.8K

-9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$558 ¥88.1K

31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$385 ¥60.8K

34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.4K

$937 ¥148.0K

80.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$555 ¥87.6K

39.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$3,555 ¥561.4K

84.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.7K

$1,971 ¥311.3K

55.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.2K

$1,881 ¥297.1K

25.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.02

9.41%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Nagoya

$385 28% 25.4% $131

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Nagoya

$382 27.8% 25.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Nagoya

$169 12.3% 13.3% $26

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Nagoya

$145 10.6% 8.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Nagoya

$112 8.1% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Nagoya

$69 5% 11.1% $8.6

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Nagoya

$112 8.2% 92% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $558 in Nagoya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 26% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $32 in Nagoya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $382 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

2,236,000

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 26% 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 $558 in Nagoya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 63% less than in Nagoya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $687 in Nagoya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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