Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Utsunomiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Utsunomiya: $1,316 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $960 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Utsunomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,316 in Utsunomiya.

Osaka $1,396
Utsunomiya $1,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,971 in Utsunomiya.

Osaka $2,027
Utsunomiya $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,625 in Utsunomiya.

Osaka $2,658
Utsunomiya $2,625

Living in Osaka is roughly 6% more expensive than in Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$6.07 ¥958

7.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,041

$16.88 ¥2,666

89.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$4.86 ¥768

5.97%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.52 ¥556

-13.92%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.07 ¥169

29.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.84 ¥133

-15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.11 ¥490

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$1.86 ¥293

109.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.45 ¥229

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.67 ¥264

-22.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$5.63 ¥888

-3.02%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.25 ¥356

-9.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$11.56 ¥1,825

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,492

$6.80 ¥1,074

38.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,933

$16.74 ¥2,644

10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$4.85 ¥766

-30.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$2.27 ¥358

-11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$4.25 ¥672

-50.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$5.27 ¥832

-21.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$3.40 ¥536

-53.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$3.01 ¥476

-61.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.18 ¥187

16.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.79 ¥124

2.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.96 ¥626

1.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$9.70 ¥1,531

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.68 ¥265

15.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.75 ¥434

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.25 ¥198

8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,178

$64.4 ¥10.2K

-49.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.08 ¥486

26.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$3.13 ¥495

4.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,395

$18.99 ¥2,998

13.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.06 ¥167

4.72%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-2.17%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

-2.52%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$150 ¥23.6K

-5.70%

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

$24.00 ¥3,790

$23.41 ¥3,696

2.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,815

$30.11 ¥4,754

1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,168

$50.5 ¥7,980

2.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

$12.49 ¥1,972

51.00%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,028

$13.12 ¥2,072

-2.06%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$1,408 ¥222.3K

-49.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-27.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,700

$55.1 ¥8,694

-11.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,885

$32.60 ¥5,148

-5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$64.8 ¥10.2K

12.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$72.1 ¥11.4K

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$609 ¥96.2K

20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$388 ¥61.3K

32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.3K

$893 ¥141.0K

89.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$721 ¥113.9K

7.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$3,783 ¥597.2K

72.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.6K

$2,111 ¥333.3K

45.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.25

-1.78%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Utsunomiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Utsunomiya

$388 29.5% 24.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Utsunomiya

$327 24.8% 7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Utsunomiya

$203 15.4% 3.9% $7.5

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.1% 1.1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Utsunomiya

$101 7.7% 7.7% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Utsunomiya

$77 5.8% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Utsunomiya

$88 6.7% 50.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $609 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $17 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $327, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

519,217

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,396 in Osaka and $1,316 in Utsunomiya, so Utsunomiya is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,094 in Osaka and $1,974 in Utsunomiya 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: $732 in Osaka versus $609 in Utsunomiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 49% less than in Utsunomiya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $1,408 in Utsunomiya. 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 Utsunomiya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.