Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,287 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
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Tsu Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Tsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,287 in Tsu.

Osaka $1,396
Tsu $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,999 in Tsu.

Osaka $2,027
Tsu $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,710 in Tsu.

Osaka $2,658
Tsu $2,710

Living in Osaka is roughly 8% more expensive than in Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Tsu is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.22 ¥980

4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$17.49 ¥2,758

82.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$3.91 ¥616

31.71%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$2.34 ¥368

29.49%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.14 ¥180

21.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.58 ¥90.7

22.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.10 ¥331

30.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$2.35 ¥371

65.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.58 ¥248

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.28 ¥202

1.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$5.63 ¥887

-3.02%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.02 ¥318

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$12.56 ¥1,981

-23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$9.77 ¥1,541

-3.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$32.52 ¥5,127

-42.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$3.68 ¥580

-7.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.29 ¥361

-12.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$6.41 ¥1,010

-67.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.17 ¥658

-0.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$3.84 ¥606

-59.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$3.47 ¥547

-66.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.30 ¥205

5.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$1.03 ¥163

-21.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.53 ¥557

13.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$8.37 ¥1,320

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$2.04 ¥322

-4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$1.47 ¥233

117.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.48 ¥234

-8.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$56.5 ¥8,912

-41.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.23 ¥509

20.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$3.22 ¥508

1.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$26.97 ¥4,252

-20.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.04 ¥164

6.73%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$19.0K ¥3.0M

17.52%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$16.7K ¥2.6M

-11.24%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$145 ¥22.8K

-2.51%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$24.21 ¥3,818

-0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$43.47 ¥6,855

-29.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$51.3 ¥8,094

0.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

$12.93 ¥2,039

45.86%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$8.34 ¥1,315

54.08%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$322 ¥50.8K

120.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$6,217 ¥980.2K

113.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$49.15 ¥7,750

-0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$25.83 ¥4,072

19.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$46.87 ¥7,391

55.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$65.4 ¥10.3K

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$544 ¥85.7K

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$342 ¥53.9K

51.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$1,021 ¥160.9K

65.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$738 ¥116.4K

4.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,287 ¥675.9K

52.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$2,268 ¥357.7K

35.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

$1,511 ¥238.2K

56.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.9

16.32%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Tsu

$342 26.5% 33.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Tsu

$388 30.1% 27.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Tsu

$212 16.5% 8.6% $17

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Tsu

$112 8.7% 16.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Tsu

$84 6.5% 23.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Tsu

$68 5.3% 12.2% $9.4

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Tsu

$82 6.4% 40.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $544 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $17 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $388, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

279,241

💱 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

On the map

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Osaka Tsu 93 km

From you

Osaka
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,287 in Tsu, so Tsu is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $732 in Osaka versus $544 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 42% less than in Tsu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $322 in Tsu. 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. Tsu 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 Tsu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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