Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Taipei

For one person, living costs are similar in Osaka and in Taipei: $1,400 and $1,395 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,395

/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: $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,395 in Taipei.

Osaka $1,400
Taipei $1,395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Osaka versus $2,227 in Taipei.

Osaka $1,991
Taipei $2,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,582 in Osaka versus $3,059 in Taipei.

Osaka $2,582
Taipei $3,059

Monthly costs are close between Osaka and Taipei; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Osaka 4% above, Taipei 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥979

$4.76 NT$152

30.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.80 ¥5,032

$48.18 NT$1,537

-34.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥781

$5.75 NT$183

-14.26%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥474

$3.49 NT$112

-14.04%

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

$1.45 ¥229

$0.88 NT$28.03

64.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.65 NT$20.61

10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ¥415

$2.86 NT$91.4

-8.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ¥618

$3.67 NT$117

6.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$3.09 NT$98.5

-52.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥207

$2.05 NT$65.5

-36.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥831

$3.06 NT$97.5

71.57%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.70 NT$86.0

-24.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ¥1,545

$19.66 NT$627

-50.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,460

$9.83 NT$314

-6.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,841

$21.11 NT$674

-14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$5.08 NT$162

-35.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥317

$3.39 NT$108

-41.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ¥334

$3.00 NT$95.8

-29.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$4.56 NT$146

-9.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$2.72 NT$86.8

-44.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥188

$2.28 NT$72.9

-47.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$1.68 NT$53.7

-22.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥137

$1.15 NT$36.81

-25.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$4.05 NT$129

-5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,542

$14.32 NT$457

-31.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.70 NT$54.2

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥499

$2.29 NT$73.0

37.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ¥212

$0.61 NT$19.46

119.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.68 ¥5,171

$38.47 NT$1,228

-15.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥610

$2.73 NT$87.0

41.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 ¥505

$0.75 NT$24.02

325.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.93 ¥3,470

$9.59 NT$306

128.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.02 NT$32.56

7.84%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-36.89%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$24.2K NT$771.9K

-37.45%

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

$140 ¥22.2K

$86.4 NT$2,756

62.19%

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

$24.14 ¥3,821

$17.12 NT$546

41.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.58 ¥4,840

$27.06 NT$864

13.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.41 ¥7,819

$40.77 NT$1,301

21.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.41 ¥2,914

$16.04 NT$512

14.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 ¥1,941

$9.63 NT$307

27.41%

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

$511 ¥80.9K

$656 NT$20.9K

-22.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K ¥2.1M

$16.4K NT$524.1K

-20.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 ¥7,517

$62.7 NT$2,001

-24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 ¥4,767

$39.50 NT$1,261

-23.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 ¥11.6K

$83.9 NT$2,677

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$106 NT$3,392

-14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ¥111.3K

$1,016 NT$32.4K

-30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.4K

$479 NT$15.3K

6.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 ¥277.2K

$1,568 NT$50.0K

11.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 ¥121.1K

$952 NT$30.4K

-19.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,208 ¥982.3K

$12.2K NT$389.2K

-49.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 ¥306.7K

$7,207 NT$230.0K

-73.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 ¥371.2K

$1,772 NT$56.5K

32.39%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Taipei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$508 36.9%

Taipei

$479 34.8% 5.8% $29

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$301 21.9%

Taipei

$401 29.2% 33.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14.2%

Taipei

$131 9.5% 33% $64

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.5%

Taipei

$125 9.1% 3.7% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.9%

Taipei

$132 9.6% 20.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Taipei

$60 4.4% 18.8% $14

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Taipei

$47 3.5% 18% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Osaka and $1,016 in Taipei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 32% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32.00 in Osaka vs $48.00 in Taipei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $401 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇹🇼 Taipei

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

00:58 12:58 AM

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 = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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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

Average pay runs 32% 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: $704 in Osaka versus $1,016 in Taipei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Osaka versus $656 in Taipei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Taipei – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $32.00 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,395 in Taipei versus $1,400 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.

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