Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,181 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,181

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,181 in Setagaya-ku.

Osaka $1,396
Setagaya-ku $1,181

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,896 in Setagaya-ku.

Osaka $2,027
Setagaya-ku $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,612 in Setagaya-ku.

Osaka $2,658
Setagaya-ku $2,612

Living in Osaka is roughly 18% more expensive than in Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Setagaya-ku is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.34 ¥999

2.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$25.75 ¥4,060

24.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$4.54 ¥716

13.44%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$2.99 ¥472

1.34%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.07 ¥169

29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.66 ¥104

7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.18 ¥343

26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$3.08 ¥486

26.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.23 ¥195

18.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.68 ¥265

-22.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$3.68 ¥580

48.37%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$1.19 ¥187

70.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$10.58 ¥1,669

-8.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.03 ¥951

56.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$14.29 ¥2,253

30.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.74 ¥906

-40.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.73 ¥430

-26.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.80 ¥442

-25.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.32 ¥681

-4.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.55 ¥402

-38.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.61 ¥411

-55.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.25 ¥197

9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.55 ¥86.9

47.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.70 ¥583

8.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.44 ¥1,016

50.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.76 ¥278

10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.01 ¥317

58.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.29 ¥204

4.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$64.1 ¥10.1K

-48.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.18 ¥502

22.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.74 ¥432

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$20.65 ¥3,257

4.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.07 ¥168

3.74%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

0.42%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

-5.36%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$134 ¥21.2K

4.86%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$24.08 ¥3,797

-0.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$32.71 ¥5,159

-6.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$48.13 ¥7,590

7.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$11.31 ¥1,783

13.62%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$835 ¥131.7K

-15.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-9.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$62.1 ¥9,794

-21.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$37.00 ¥5,834

-16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$62.8 ¥9,906

16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$105 ¥16.5K

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$560 ¥88.3K

30.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$307 ¥48.4K

68.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$1,100 ¥173.4K

53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$774 ¥122.1K

-0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,023 ¥634.4K

62.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$1,996 ¥314.8K

53.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

10.50%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Setagaya-ku

$307 26% 40.5% $209

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.8% 7.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Setagaya-ku

$191 16.2% 2.2% $4.3

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Setagaya-ku

$124 10.5% 7.1% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Setagaya-ku

$120 10.2% 9.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Setagaya-ku

$71 6% 8.6% $6.7

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Setagaya-ku

$86 7.3% 47.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $560 in Setagaya-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $26 in Setagaya-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $281 per month, with Setagaya-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

943,664

💱 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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,181 in Setagaya-ku, so Setagaya-ku is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,094 in Osaka and $1,771 in Setagaya-ku 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: $732 in Osaka versus $560 in Setagaya-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 49% less than in Setagaya-ku. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $835 in Setagaya-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.