Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Oita

For one person, living is cheaper in Oita: $1,309 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
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Oita Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Oita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,309 in Oita.

Osaka $1,378
Oita $1,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $2,033 in Oita.

Osaka $2,005
Oita $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,757 in Oita.

Osaka $2,632
Oita $2,757

Living in Osaka is roughly 5% more expensive than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Oita is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$7.42 ¥1,172

-15.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$42.27 ¥6,677

-25.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.91 ¥934

-17.09%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.74 ¥591

-21.12%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$1.00 ¥159

44.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.75 ¥118

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$3.75 ¥593

-29.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$2.25 ¥355

72.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.57 ¥248

-8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.93 ¥304

-30.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$6.61 ¥1,044

-20.57%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.30 ¥364

-6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$17.89 ¥2,827

-47.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$5.49 ¥867

67.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$18.89 ¥2,985

-2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$3.58 ¥565

-4.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.81 ¥286

6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.86 ¥451

-30.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$3.42 ¥540

18.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.15 ¥340

-27.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.56 ¥404

-54.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.03 ¥163

26.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.91 ¥143

-3.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.88 ¥613

3.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$6.34 ¥1,001

51.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.71 ¥270

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$1.85 ¥292

75.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.51 ¥239

-7.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$53.2 ¥8,409

-39.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.91 ¥617

-5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.08 ¥329

47.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$18.07 ¥2,855

20.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.05 ¥167

3.81%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

1.91%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-14.24%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$214 ¥33.9K

-35.10%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$24.34 ¥3,846

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$33.96 ¥5,365

-9.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$51.3 ¥8,104

-4.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$11.12 ¥1,757

14.39%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$126 ¥20.0K

303.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$12.3K ¥1.9M

4.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$49.06 ¥7,751

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$26.11 ¥4,126

18.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$65.0 ¥10.3K

14.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$47.12 ¥7,445

94.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$523 ¥82.6K

33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$336 ¥53.0K

52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,094 ¥172.9K

56.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$723 ¥114.2K

6.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,285 ¥677.0K

44.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,755 ¥277.2K

8.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.97

12.18%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Oita

$336 25.6% 34.3% $175

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Oita

$317 24.2% 5.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Oita

$273 20.8% 40.3% $78

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Oita

$152 11.6% 17.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Oita

$84 6.4% 23.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Oita

$74 5.6% 1.2% $0.9

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Oita

$74 5.6% 29.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $523 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $42.00 in Oita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $317 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

475,614

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Osaka. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,067 in Osaka and $1,964 in Oita 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: $699 in Osaka versus $523 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $510 in Osaka versus $126 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Osaka pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,309 in Oita versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oita delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,309 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oita hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Osaka and Oita are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.