Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index

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Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Osaka and in Yamaguchi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,396 in Osaka versus $1,202 in Yamaguchi.

Osaka $1,396
Yamaguchi $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Osaka versus $1,849 in Yamaguchi.

Osaka $2,027
Yamaguchi $1,849

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,658 in Osaka versus $2,495 in Yamaguchi.

Osaka $2,658
Yamaguchi $2,495

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 3% above, Yamaguchi is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 ¥1,027

$3.80 ¥600

71.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.93 ¥5,041

$31.96 ¥5,047

-0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$5.02 ¥793

2.59%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥478

$3.71 ¥586

-18.33%

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

$1.39 ¥220

$1.05 ¥166

32.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.75 ¥118

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.88 ¥612

-29.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ¥614

$2.21 ¥349

76.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.55 ¥245

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.83 ¥288

-28.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 ¥863

$6.61 ¥1,044

-17.40%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$2.21 ¥349

-8.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 ¥1,520

$18.53 ¥2,926

-48.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,492

$5.28 ¥833

78.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.58 ¥2,933

$19.00 ¥3,001

-2.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$3.71 ¥586

-8.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥316

$1.87 ¥295

6.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ¥329

$2.82 ¥445

-25.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$3.26 ¥515

26.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥247

$2.22 ¥351

-29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥185

$2.54 ¥401

-53.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.08 ¥171

26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.93 ¥147

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$4.04 ¥638

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.72 ¥1,535

$6.20 ¥979

56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$1.67 ¥263

16.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥503

$1.91 ¥302

67.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.48 ¥234

-8.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,178

$50.8 ¥8,016

-35.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 ¥616

$4.00 ¥631

-2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.42 ¥382

34.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.50 ¥3,395

$17.73 ¥2,799

21.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.07 ¥169

3.74%

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

$22.3K ¥3.5M

$22.5K ¥3.6M

-1.00%

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

$14.9K ¥2.3M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

-3.19%

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

$141 ¥22.3K

$214 ¥33.8K

-34.14%

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

$24.00 ¥3,790

$24.94 ¥3,938

-3.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.50 ¥4,815

$33.47 ¥5,284

-8.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,168

$52.7 ¥8,321

-1.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,028

$12.67 ¥2,000

1.42%

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

$709 ¥111.9K

$695 ¥109.8K

1.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ¥2.1M

$12.1K ¥1.9M

9.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.77 ¥7,700

$48.71 ¥7,690

0.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 ¥4,885

$25.97 ¥4,101

19.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ¥11.5K

$65.8 ¥10.4K

10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 ¥14.3K

$47.76 ¥7,541

90.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.6K

$409 ¥64.6K

78.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 ¥81.5K

$256 ¥40.4K

101.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 ¥267.3K

$806 ¥127.2K

110.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 ¥122.1K

$572 ¥90.3K

35.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,542 ¥1.0M

$4,869 ¥768.8K

34.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,063 ¥483.6K

$2,007 ¥316.8K

52.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

1.97

12.18%

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

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Osaka

$516 37%

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3% 50.4% $260

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$305 21.9%

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4% 4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14%

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7% 39.4% $77

Eating Out

Osaka

$134 9.6%

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1% 9.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$110 7.9%

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1% 22.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$77 5.6%

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $732 in Osaka and $409 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Osaka vs $32 in Yamaguchi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $317 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

Same time as Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

193,966

💱 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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Yamaguchi differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,396 vs $1,202 including rent). Yamaguchi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,094 in Osaka and $1,803 in Yamaguchi 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 $409 in Yamaguchi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Osaka versus $695 in Yamaguchi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 35% less than in Yamaguchi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.