Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
Learn more

Shiso Living Index

Jump to prices

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Shiso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,048 in Shiso.

Osaka $1,378
Shiso $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,913 in Shiso.

Osaka $2,005
Shiso $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,777 in Shiso.

Osaka $2,632
Shiso $2,777

Living in Osaka is roughly 32% more expensive than in Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Shiso is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$7.87 ¥1,244

-20.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-53.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$6.29 ¥993

-22.10%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.69 ¥584

-20.05%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$0.83 ¥132

73.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.72 ¥114

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.58 ¥407

2.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.15 ¥497

22.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.52 ¥240

-5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$3.00 ¥474

-55.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$4.87 ¥769

7.80%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.19 ¥346

-2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$10.19 ¥1,609

-8.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$6.48 ¥1,023

42.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$27.01 ¥4,267

-31.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$5.33 ¥842

-35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.59 ¥409

-25.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$4.06 ¥641

-50.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$5.97 ¥943

-32.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$4.29 ¥678

-63.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.60 ¥411

-55.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.38 ¥218

-5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.83 ¥130

6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$4.11 ¥650

-2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$7.66 ¥1,211

25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.92 ¥303

1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.22 ¥351

45.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.36 ¥216

2.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$33.90 ¥5,356

-4.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.57 ¥564

3.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.88 ¥455

6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$20.87 ¥3,297

4.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.28 ¥202

-14.84%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-2.62%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.0K ¥2.7M

-11.05%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$144 ¥22.8K

-3.64%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$23.93 ¥3,781

2.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$13.58 ¥2,146

125.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$36.74 ¥5,805

33.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

$13.71 ¥2,167

31.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$4.59 ¥726

177.12%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$283 ¥44.8K

79.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$13.6K ¥2.1M

-5.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$10.06 ¥1,589

382.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$29.87 ¥4,720

3.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$33.76 ¥5,334

119.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$99.7 ¥15.7K

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$470 ¥74.3K

48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$165 ¥26.0K

209.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$862 ¥136.1K

98.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$659 ¥104.2K

17.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

46.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

7.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.78

24.16%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 67.7% $346

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 22.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 6.4% $12

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 16.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 29.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 38.3% $29

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 0.7% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $470 in Shiso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $68.0 in Shiso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $368 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

36,610

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Osaka Shiso 93 km

From you

Osaka
Shiso

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Shiso differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,048 including rent). Shiso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,067 in Osaka and $1,572 in Shiso 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 $470 in Shiso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shiso runs roughly 5% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $510 in Osaka versus $283 in Shiso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shiso but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Shiso 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 Shiso 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 Shiso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.