Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Takamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Takamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Osaka versus $1,191 in Takamatsu.

Osaka $1,378
Takamatsu $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Osaka versus $1,881 in Takamatsu.

Osaka $2,005
Takamatsu $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,632 in Osaka versus $2,571 in Takamatsu.

Osaka $2,632
Takamatsu $2,571

Living in Osaka is roughly 16% more expensive than in Takamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 2% above, Takamatsu is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$6.20 ¥980

0.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$31.99 ¥5,054

-0.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.12 ¥809

-4.30%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥466

$3.13 ¥495

-5.75%

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

$1.44 ¥228

$1.19 ¥189

21.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.80 ¥126

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 ¥419

$2.60 ¥410

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.22 ¥508

20.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.50 ¥238

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$1.60 ¥252

-16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$1.76 ¥278

198.30%

Eggs

$2.14 ¥338

$2.29 ¥361

-6.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$10.37 ¥1,639

-10.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,456

$6.60 ¥1,043

39.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 ¥2,906

$16.83 ¥2,659

9.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ¥541

$3.69 ¥583

-7.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$2.28 ¥360

-15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ¥314

$2.90 ¥458

-31.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$4.24 ¥671

-4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$2.48 ¥391

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.46 ¥389

-52.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.27 ¥201

2.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.79 ¥124

11.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.67 ¥580

8.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.60 ¥1,517

$6.63 ¥1,048

44.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.88 ¥298

3.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.11 ¥333

53.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$1.46 ¥231

-4.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

$53.3 ¥8,414

-39.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ¥583

$3.18 ¥503

16.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ¥486

$2.79 ¥442

10.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.76 ¥3,437

$18.60 ¥2,938

16.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.06 ¥168

2.83%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

3.74%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

0.08%

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

$139 ¥22.0K

$137 ¥21.6K

1.73%

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

$24.50 ¥3,870

$23.78 ¥3,757

3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 ¥4,846

$30.79 ¥4,865

-0.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.03 ¥7,746

$51.7 ¥8,161

-5.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

$3.11 ¥491

480.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,010

$11.79 ¥1,862

7.89%

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

$510 ¥80.5K

$521 ¥82.3K

-2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ¥2.0M

$12.7K ¥2.0M

1.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.57 ¥7,673

$48.96 ¥7,736

-0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 ¥4,894

$31.24 ¥4,936

-0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥11.7K

$60.1 ¥9,499

23.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥14.5K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

1.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ¥110.5K

$529 ¥83.6K

32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$510 ¥80.6K

$334 ¥52.8K

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

$1,089 ¥172.0K

57.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

$735 ¥116.1K

5.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

$4,144 ¥654.7K

49.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

$1,783 ¥281.6K

7.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,424 ¥382.9K

$1,761 ¥278.1K

37.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

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

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$510 37.1%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 34.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$302 21.9%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$194 14.1%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 1.5% $3

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.4%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 8%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 5.9% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 1% $0.8

Getting Around

Osaka

$57 4.1%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 34% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $699 in Osaka and $529 in Takamatsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 38% 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 $32.00 in Takamatsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $280, with Takamatsu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

426,514

💱 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

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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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Takamatsu differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,378 vs $1,191 including rent). Takamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% 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 $529 in Takamatsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Takamatsu runs roughly 65% 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 $521 in Takamatsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Takamatsu but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.