Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,111 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Tsukuba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,111 in Tsukuba.

Osaka $1,396
Tsukuba $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,773 in Tsukuba.

Osaka $2,027
Tsukuba $1,773

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,434 in Tsukuba.

Osaka $2,658
Tsukuba $2,434

Living in Osaka is roughly 26% more expensive than in Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Tsukuba is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,025

$6.49 ¥1,024

0.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,034

$33.75 ¥5,322

-5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥812

$5.13 ¥809

0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥477

$2.63 ¥415

15.21%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$0.96 ¥151

44.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.80 ¥126

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥433

$2.11 ¥333

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥613

$3.13 ¥493

24.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥204

$1.67 ¥264

-22.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥862

$3.25 ¥512

68.00%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$2.09 ¥329

-2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,518

$10.46 ¥1,649

-7.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,491

$6.03 ¥950

56.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,929

$14.40 ¥2,271

29.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$5.63 ¥888

-39.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥315

$2.75 ¥434

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.83 ¥446

-26.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥653

$4.23 ¥666

-2.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.52 ¥397

-37.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.67 ¥421

-56.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$0.82 ¥129

67.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.76 ¥119

6.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥634

$3.71 ¥585

8.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,533

$6.52 ¥1,028

49.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥305

$1.74 ¥274

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥502

$2.08 ¥328

53.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.43 ¥225

-5.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,171

$55.8 ¥8,797

-41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.20 ¥504

21.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥514

$2.76 ¥436

18.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,390

$20.77 ¥3,275

3.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.11 ¥174

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.2K ¥3.5M

0.44%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

-5.14%

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

$141 ¥22.2K

$131 ¥20.7K

7.25%

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

$24.00 ¥3,785

$24.64 ¥3,885

-2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,809

$31.74 ¥5,006

-3.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,157

$56.0 ¥8,836

-7.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,026

$13.27 ¥2,093

-3.17%

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

$709 ¥111.7K

$96.3 ¥15.2K

635.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-12.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,691

$47.58 ¥7,502

2.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,879

$36.56 ¥5,765

-15.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$38.69 ¥6,101

88.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$41.36 ¥6,522

119.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.4K

$465 ¥73.4K

57.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.4K

$280 ¥44.2K

83.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.0K

$1,086 ¥171.3K

55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥121.9K

$645 ¥101.7K

19.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,791 ¥755.5K

36.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.0K

$2,181 ¥343.9K

40.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥372.6K

$1,458 ¥229.9K

62.03%

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 Tsukuba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Tsukuba

$280 25.3% 45.6% $236

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Tsukuba

$285 25.6% 6.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Tsukuba

$188 16.9% 3.9% $7.6

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Tsukuba

$123 11.1% 8.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Tsukuba

$74 6.7% 32.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Tsukuba

$83 7.4% 6.7% $5.2

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Tsukuba

$79 7.1% 34.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $465 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 62% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $34 in Tsukuba. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $285, with Tsukuba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

230,398

💱 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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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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,111 in Tsukuba, so Tsukuba is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $465 in Tsukuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 41% less than in Tsukuba. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $96 in Tsukuba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tsukuba gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Tsukuba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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