Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,409 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,409

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Ube

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Osaka versus $1,240 in Ube.

Osaka $1,409
Ube $1,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Osaka versus $1,925 in Ube.

Osaka $2,057
Ube $1,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,706 in Osaka versus $2,610 in Ube.

Osaka $2,706
Ube $2,610

Living in Osaka is roughly 14% more expensive than in Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Ube is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥993

$6.98 ¥1,106

-10.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.41 ¥4,975

$34.82 ¥5,516

-9.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥775

$5.61 ¥889

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥474

$3.20 ¥507

-6.56%

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

$1.43 ¥226

$1.14 ¥181

25.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.81 ¥128

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥434

$2.02 ¥320

35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 ¥611

$3.09 ¥489

24.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.51 ¥240

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.57 ¥249

-17.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.39 ¥854

$4.80 ¥760

12.29%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥328

$2.20 ¥349

-5.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ¥1,671

$9.93 ¥1,573

6.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,612

$6.37 ¥1,009

59.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.32 ¥4,011

$15.50 ¥2,455

63.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ¥528

$5.25 ¥832

-36.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ¥308

$2.62 ¥415

-25.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥323

$3.97 ¥629

-48.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.13 ¥654

$4.46 ¥707

-7.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥241

$3.31 ¥524

-54.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ¥179

$2.69 ¥427

-57.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.38 ¥218

-1.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.82 ¥130

4.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥616

$4.04 ¥640

-3.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 ¥1,981

$6.65 ¥1,053

88.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥307

$1.97 ¥312

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥497

$2.35 ¥372

33.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.60 ¥253

-17.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.27 ¥5,270

$56.5 ¥8,948

-41.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 ¥589

$3.39 ¥537

9.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥426

$2.90 ¥459

-7.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 ¥4,253

$21.04 ¥3,333

27.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.18 ¥188

-11.02%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-2.45%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

-11.40%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$142 ¥22.5K

-0.92%

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

$24.75 ¥3,920

$27.14 ¥4,299

-8.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 ¥4,928

$34.42 ¥5,453

-9.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ¥8,072

$57.7 ¥9,147

-11.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 ¥2,912

$13.93 ¥2,207

31.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 ¥1,994

$12.94 ¥2,049

-2.70%

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

$685 ¥108.5K

$277 ¥44.0K

146.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$13.5K ¥2.1M

16.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.04 ¥7,610

$42.73 ¥6,769

12.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ¥4,858

$29.68 ¥4,702

3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥11.8K

$60.0 ¥9,502

23.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.3K

$91.1 ¥14.4K

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥117.0K

$462 ¥73.2K

59.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.8K

$330 ¥52.3K

52.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 ¥269.3K

$860 ¥136.2K

97.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.6K

$648 ¥102.6K

17.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,708 ¥1.1M

$2,856 ¥452.4K

134.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,145 ¥498.2K

$1,757 ¥278.3K

78.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ¥363.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.81

22.10%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$504 35.8%

Ube

$330 26.6% 34.4% $173

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$337 23.9%

Ube

$306 24.7% 9.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$196 13.9%

Ube

$203 16.4% 3.6% $7

Eating Out

Osaka

$131 9.3%

Ube

$135 10.9% 3.3% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.8%

Ube

$101 8.1% 8.1% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$76 5.4%

Ube

$84 6.8% 9.8% $7.5

Getting Around

Osaka

$56 4%

Ube

$81 6.5% 45% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $739 in Osaka and $462 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31 in Osaka vs $35 in Ube. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $306, with Ube cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

162,570

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,409 in Osaka and $1,240 in Ube, so Ube is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,113 in Osaka and $1,859 in Ube to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $739 in Osaka versus $462 in Ube. 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 Ube. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $685 in Osaka versus $277 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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