Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Suginami-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Suginami-ku: $1,245 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Suginami-ku
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Suginami-ku Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Suginami-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 Suginami-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,245 in Suginami-ku.

Osaka $1,396
Suginami-ku $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,938 in Suginami-ku.

Osaka $2,027
Suginami-ku $1,938

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,630 in Suginami-ku.

Osaka $2,658
Suginami-ku $2,630

Living in Osaka is roughly 12% more expensive than in Suginami-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Suginami-ku is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.53 ¥1,029

-0.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$40.78 ¥6,430

-21.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.06 ¥797

1.78%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$3.54 ¥558

-14.41%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.07 ¥168

29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.80 ¥126

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.56 ¥404

7.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$3.14 ¥496

23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.44 ¥227

1.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.73 ¥273

-24.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$3.73 ¥588

46.38%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.02 ¥319

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$10.42 ¥1,643

-7.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.14 ¥969

53.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$14.38 ¥2,267

29.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.65 ¥891

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.72 ¥428

-26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.86 ¥451

-26.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.16 ¥656

-0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.56 ¥403

-38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.57 ¥405

-54.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.24 ¥196

10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.81 ¥128

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.77 ¥594

6.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.46 ¥1,019

50.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.80 ¥284

7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.05 ¥323

55.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.48 ¥234

-8.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$60.8 ¥9,590

-46.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.09 ¥487

26.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.64 ¥416

23.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$20.90 ¥3,295

2.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.07 ¥169

3.74%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

2.71%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$16.0K ¥2.5M

-7.31%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$133 ¥21.0K

5.91%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$23.94 ¥3,775

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$32.31 ¥5,095

-5.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$54.4 ¥8,580

-4.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$12.82 ¥2,021

0.23%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$835 ¥131.7K

-15.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

-10.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$62.6 ¥9,871

-22.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$37.77 ¥5,956

-18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$60.7 ¥9,563

20.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$104 ¥16.5K

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$562 ¥88.6K

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$347 ¥54.7K

48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$1,113 ¥175.5K

52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$664 ¥104.7K

16.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,687 ¥739.0K

39.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$2,017 ¥318.1K

51.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

$2,787 ¥439.4K

-15.22%

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 Suginami-ku: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Suginami-ku

$347 27.9% 32.8% $169

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Suginami-ku

$290 23.3% 4.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Suginami-ku

$189 15.2% 3.1% $6.1

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Suginami-ku

$136 11% 2% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Suginami-ku

$119 9.6% 9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Suginami-ku

$80 6.4% 3.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Suginami-ku

$83 6.7% 42.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $562 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $41 in Suginami-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $290, with Suginami-ku cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

540,180

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,245 in Suginami-ku, so Suginami-ku is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Osaka. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $732 in Osaka versus $562 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 46% less than in Suginami-ku. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $835 in Suginami-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. Suginami-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 Suginami-ku are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.