Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Niigata

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Niigata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $728 in Niigata.

Osaka $1,396
Niigata $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,106 in Niigata.

Osaka $2,027
Niigata $1,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $1,485 in Niigata.

Osaka $2,658
Niigata $1,485

Living in Osaka is roughly 92% more expensive than in Niigata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Niigata is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.43 ¥1,014

1.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$17.74 ¥2,798

79.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.02 ¥792

2.59%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$2.68 ¥422

13.06%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.10 ¥174

26.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.78 ¥124

-8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.53 ¥398

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$2.77 ¥438

40.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.22 ¥192

19.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$0.97 ¥152

34.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$2.49 ¥392

119.28%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.26 ¥356

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$7.41 ¥1,169

29.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.74 ¥1,064

40.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$16.47 ¥2,598

12.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$3.21 ¥506

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$1.31 ¥206

52.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.55 ¥402

-18.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$2.23 ¥352

85.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$1.94 ¥306

-19.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.93 ¥305

-39.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$0.92 ¥146

48.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.60 ¥94.5

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.84 ¥606

4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$4.31 ¥679

125.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.68 ¥265

15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$1.86 ¥293

71.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.31 ¥207

3.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$2.63 ¥415

48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$3.23 ¥509

0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$18.80 ¥2,965

14.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.05 ¥165

5.71%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$19.3K ¥3.0M

15.50%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

15.59%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$147 ¥23.1K

-3.76%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$23.08 ¥3,639

3.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$25.23 ¥3,979

20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$51.4 ¥8,103

0.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

$6.27 ¥989

200.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$12.30 ¥1,939

4.47%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

995.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$18.3K ¥2.9M

-27.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$31.68 ¥4,996

53.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$33.10 ¥5,220

-6.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$38.84 ¥6,124

87.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

40.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$351 ¥55.3K

108.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

$1,272 ¥200.6K

85.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.48

49.32%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Niigata

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Niigata

$233 32% 23.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Niigata

$195 26.8% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Niigata

$124 17.1% 7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 30.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Niigata

$76 10.4% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Niigata

$24 * 3.3% 58.8% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $351 in Niigata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 86% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $18 in Niigata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $233 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Niigata

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

811,639

💱 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 Niigata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $728 in Niigata, so Niigata is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% 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 $351 in Niigata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Osaka. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,396 per month in Osaka versus $728 in Niigata – Niigata is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,396 in Osaka, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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 Niigata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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