Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Narita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,203 in Narita.

Osaka $1,396
Narita $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,912 in Narita.

Osaka $2,027
Narita $1,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,620 in Narita.

Osaka $2,658
Narita $2,620

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Narita is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$5.73 ¥904

13.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$41.80 ¥6,592

-23.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$4.42 ¥697

16.52%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$3.25 ¥513

-6.77%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$0.78 ¥124

78.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.73 ¥116

-2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.07 ¥326

32.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$3.22 ¥508

20.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.25 ¥196

16.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.72 ¥272

-24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$3.63 ¥573

50.41%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$1.98 ¥313

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$10.31 ¥1,626

-6.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.13 ¥966

54.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$14.34 ¥2,262

29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.83 ¥919

-41.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.73 ¥431

-26.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.91 ¥460

-28.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.16 ¥656

-0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.64 ¥417

-40.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.69 ¥423

-56.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.30 ¥206

5.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.82 ¥129

-1.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.78 ¥596

6.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.22 ¥980

56.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.79 ¥283

8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.09 ¥329

52.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.48 ¥234

-8.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$64.9 ¥10.2K

-49.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.25 ¥512

20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$1.62 ¥255

101.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$20.95 ¥3,303

2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.03 ¥162

7.77%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

2.44%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

-7.62%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$131 ¥20.6K

7.86%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$24.14 ¥3,806

-0.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$28.35 ¥4,470

7.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$52.3 ¥8,254

-1.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$11.49 ¥1,811

11.84%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$828 ¥130.6K

-14.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-10.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$62.3 ¥9,818

-21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$36.42 ¥5,742

-15.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$61.0 ¥9,620

19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$105 ¥16.5K

-13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$540 ¥85.1K

35.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$334 ¥52.6K

54.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$901 ¥142.1K

87.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$700 ¥110.3K

10.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$3,825 ¥603.2K

71.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$2,316 ¥365.3K

32.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

$1,258 ¥198.3K

87.85%

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 Narita: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Narita

$334 27.7% 35.3% $182

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Narita

$289 24% 5.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Narita

$183 15.2% 6.3% $12

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Narita

$121 10.1% 9.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Narita

$119 9.9% 8.7% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Narita

$75 6.3% 2.7% $2.1

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Narita

$82 6.8% 40.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $540 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 88% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $42 in Narita. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $289, with Narita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

131,613

💱 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 Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 88% 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 $540 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 49% less than in Narita. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $828 in Narita. 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 Narita are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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