Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Otsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Otsu: $1,297 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Otsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,297 in Otsu.

Osaka $1,396
Otsu $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,890 in Otsu.

Osaka $2,027
Otsu $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,482 in Otsu.

Osaka $2,658
Otsu $2,482

Living in Osaka is roughly 8% more expensive than in Otsu.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Otsu is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$8.43 ¥1,331

-22.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,042

$31.93 ¥5,043

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥814

$5.13 ¥810

0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.12 ¥494

-2.88%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.18 ¥187

17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.90 ¥142

-21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.19 ¥504

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$4.51 ¥712

-13.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.53 ¥242

-4.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.55 ¥245

-16.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$4.52 ¥714

20.80%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.14 ¥338

-5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$15.67 ¥2,475

-38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,493

$6.88 ¥1,086

37.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,934

$17.21 ¥2,718

7.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$4.95 ¥782

-31.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.49 ¥393

-19.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$4.97 ¥785

-57.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$4.42 ¥698

-6.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.20 ¥348

-28.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥186

$1.87 ¥295

-37.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.19 ¥187

15.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.87 ¥137

-6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.97 ¥627

1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,536

$9.69 ¥1,530

0.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.06 ¥326

-5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.19 ¥345

45.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.49 ¥235

-9.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,179

$57.5 ¥9,080

-42.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.26 ¥514

19.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.85 ¥450

14.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,396

$28.41 ¥4,486

-24.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.12 ¥177

-0.89%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

0.69%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

-2.70%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$118 ¥18.6K

19.78%

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

$24.00 ¥3,791

$23.18 ¥3,661

3.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,816

$30.70 ¥4,849

-0.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,170

$50.9 ¥8,042

1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,979

$9.46 ¥1,494

99.37%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,029

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$700 ¥110.6K

1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$12.6K ¥2.0M

5.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,703

$55.5 ¥8,766

-12.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,887

$36.05 ¥5,693

-14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$69.5 ¥11.0K

4.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$97.1 ¥15.3K

-6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$443 ¥69.9K

65.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$366 ¥57.9K

40.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.4K

$623 ¥98.4K

171.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$461 ¥72.9K

67.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,199 ¥663.1K

55.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.7K

$2,274 ¥359.2K

34.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.2K

$1,818 ¥287.0K

30.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.1

5.24%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Otsu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Otsu

$366 28.3% 29% $150

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Otsu

$332 25.6% 8.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Otsu

$172 13.2% 12.2% $24

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Otsu

$154 11.8% 14.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Otsu

$116 9% 6.1% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Otsu

$77 5.9% 1% $0.8

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Otsu

$81 6.2% 38.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $443 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 30% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $32 in Otsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $332 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Otsu

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

341,314

💱 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 Otsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,297 in Otsu, so Otsu is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $443 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $700 in Otsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 43% less than in Otsu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Otsu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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