Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Taipei

For one person, living costs are similar in Osaka and in Taipei: $1,378 and $1,344 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Taipei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,344 in Taipei.

Osaka $1,378
Taipei $1,344

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $2,156 in Taipei.

Osaka $2,005
Taipei $2,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,967 in Taipei.

Osaka $2,632
Taipei $2,967

Living in Osaka is roughly 3% more expensive than in Taipei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Taipei is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$4.54 NT$147

37.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$46.57 NT$1,510

-31.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.66 NT$184

-13.43%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.37 NT$109

-12.46%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$0.92 NT$29.95

56.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.68 NT$21.98

10.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.88 NT$93.5

-7.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.67 NT$119

5.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.91 NT$94.3

-50.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$2.00 NT$65.0

-33.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$2.97 NT$96.3

76.77%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.69 NT$87.4

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$19.07 NT$618

-51.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$9.58 NT$311

-3.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$21.37 NT$693

-13.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$4.78 NT$155

-28.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$3.17 NT$103

-39.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.97 NT$96.4

-33.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$4.42 NT$143

-8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.67 NT$86.5

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.29 NT$74.4

-48.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.65 NT$53.6

-21.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$1.09 NT$35.23

-19.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.81 NT$124

4.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$13.64 NT$442

-29.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.65 NT$53.4

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.21 NT$71.7

46.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$0.59 NT$19.15

135.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$37.39 NT$1,213

-13.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$2.66 NT$86.4

38.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$0.76 NT$24.61

303.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$9.48 NT$307

129.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.01 NT$32.60

7.92%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$34.0K NT$1.1M

-34.50%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$23.6K NT$764.4K

-35.92%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$85.2 NT$2,764

63.25%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$17.20 NT$558

42.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$26.54 NT$861

15.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$40.54 NT$1,315

20.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

$15.86 NT$514

13.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$9.61 NT$312

32.36%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$651 NT$21.1K

-21.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$16.4K NT$530.6K

-21.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$62.6 NT$2,031

-22.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$39.58 NT$1,283

-21.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$84.1 NT$2,728

-11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$104 NT$3,377

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$977 NT$31.7K

-28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$466 NT$15.1K

9.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,502 NT$48.7K

13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$916 NT$29.7K

-15.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$12.0K NT$388.7K

-48.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$7,082 NT$229.6K

-73.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

$1,728 NT$56.0K

40.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.4

-7.92%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Taipei

$466 34.7% 8.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Taipei

$390 29% 29.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Taipei

$129 9.6% 33.6% $65

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Taipei

$122 9.1% 6.1% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Taipei

$131 9.7% 18.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Taipei

$60 4.5% 19.8% $15

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Taipei

$46 3.4% 18.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $977 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 40% 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 $47.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $390 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

1 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

2,635,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Osaka Taipei 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
Taipei

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 Taipei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Taipei differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,344 including rent). Taipei is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% 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 $977 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Taipei runs roughly 16% 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 $651 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,344 in Taipei versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Taipei but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Taipei 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 Taipei 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 Taipei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.