Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,164 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Sendai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,164 in Sendai.

Osaka $1,396
Sendai $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,851 in Sendai.

Osaka $2,027
Sendai $1,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,538 in Sendai.

Osaka $2,658
Sendai $2,538

Living in Osaka is roughly 20% more expensive than in Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Sendai is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$6.42 ¥1,013

1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,041

$35.25 ¥5,566

-9.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥814

$4.57 ¥722

12.69%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.79 ¥598

-20.05%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.03 ¥162

34.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.79 ¥125

-10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$1.94 ¥307

41.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.26 ¥514

19.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.43 ¥225

2.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.46 ¥231

-10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$6.88 ¥1,087

-20.64%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.12 ¥335

-4.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$10.65 ¥1,682

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,493

$11.63 ¥1,836

-18.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,933

$8.78 ¥1,386

111.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$3.41 ¥538

-0.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.12 ¥335

-5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$4.65 ¥734

-55.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$3.23 ¥510

28.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.47 ¥390

-36.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥186

$2.30 ¥363

-49.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.39 ¥219

-1.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$1.27 ¥201

-36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$4.41 ¥696

-8.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$6.84 ¥1,080

42.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.64 ¥260

18.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.76 ¥435

15.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.51 ¥238

-10.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,178

$37.91 ¥5,986

-13.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$5.32 ¥839

-26.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,395

$18.16 ¥2,868

18.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.11 ¥175

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

38.31%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$25.4K ¥4.0M

-41.45%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$137 ¥21.6K

3.24%

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

$24.00 ¥3,790

$29.82 ¥4,708

-19.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,815

$35.46 ¥5,599

-13.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,168

$45.05 ¥7,113

14.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

$12.76 ¥2,015

47.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,028

$10.18 ¥1,608

26.23%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$230 ¥36.4K

207.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$3,740 ¥590.6K

254.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,701

$56.3 ¥8,884

-13.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,885

$33.48 ¥5,287

-7.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$34.73 ¥5,484

109.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$53.4 ¥8,435

69.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$573 ¥90.5K

27.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$328 ¥51.7K

57.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.3K

$707 ¥111.7K

139.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$736 ¥116.2K

5.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$2,713 ¥428.3K

141.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.6K

$1,438 ¥227.1K

112.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.1K

$979 ¥154.6K

141.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.73

-19.05%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Sendai

$328 28.1% 36.5% $188

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Sendai

$306 26.3% 0.3% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Sendai

$202 17.3% 3.3% $6.4

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Sendai

$134 11.5% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Sendai

$80 6.9% 26.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 15.5% $12

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Sendai

$49 * 4.2% 15.6% $9.1

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 $573 in Sendai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $35 in Sendai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $306 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Osaka Sendai 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,164 in Sendai, so Sendai is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Osaka is about 2.4 times higher, 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 $573 in Sendai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $230 in Sendai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Osaka – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Sendai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

For families, Sendai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Osaka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Osaka and Sendai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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