Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Saitama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,007 in Saitama.

Osaka $1,378
Saitama $1,007

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,330 in Saitama.

Osaka $2,005
Saitama $1,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $1,653 in Saitama.

Osaka $2,632
Saitama $1,653

Living in Osaka is roughly 37% more expensive than in Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Saitama is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$5.55 ¥876

12.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$31.14 ¥4,920

1.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$4.86 ¥768

0.82%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.07 ¥486

-3.91%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$0.72 ¥114

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.65 ¥103

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.46 ¥389

7.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.18 ¥503

21.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.45 ¥229

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.64 ¥260

-18.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$2.68 ¥423

95.90%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.00 ¥316

7.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$10.14 ¥1,601

-7.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$5.45 ¥861

69.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$14.44 ¥2,281

27.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$5.58 ¥882

-38.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.25 ¥355

-14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.84 ¥449

-29.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$4.19 ¥662

-3.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.61 ¥412

-40.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$1.56 ¥247

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.25 ¥197

4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.80 ¥126

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.70 ¥585

8.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$6.32 ¥999

51.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.74 ¥274

12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.11 ¥333

53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$3.45 ¥545

-59.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.11 ¥492

18.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.70 ¥427

13.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$20.19 ¥3,190

7.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.10 ¥174

-0.91%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

1.73%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$14.4K ¥2.3M

4.94%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$131 ¥20.7K

6.17%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$17.62 ¥2,784

39.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$31.87 ¥5,036

-3.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$61.5 ¥9,721

-20.32%

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

$620 ¥97.9K

-17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-13.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$34.90 ¥5,514

39.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$25.61 ¥4,047

20.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$55.5 ¥8,772

33.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$61.9 ¥9,773

47.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$414 ¥65.3K

69.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$237 ¥37.4K

115.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

$1,505 ¥237.7K

61.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.06

7.28%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Saitama

$237 23.5% 53.6% $274

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Saitama

$275 27.4% 8.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Saitama

$181 17.9% 7.1% $14

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Saitama

$120 11.9% 7.6% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Saitama

$80 8% 27.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Saitama

$84 8.3% 12.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 46.6% $27

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 $699 in Osaka and $414 in Saitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 61% 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: $32.00 in Osaka vs $31.00 in Saitama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $275 per month, with Saitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

1,182,115

💱 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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Saitama differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,007 including rent). Saitama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% 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: $699 in Osaka versus $414 in Saitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $510 in Osaka versus $620 in Saitama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama 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 Saitama 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 Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.