Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,007 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
Learn more

Saitama Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,007

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saitama and in Osaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saitama and in Osaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Saitama $1,007
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,330 in Saitama versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Saitama $1,330
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,653 in Saitama versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Saitama $1,653
Osaka $2,632

Living in Saitama costs roughly 27% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saitama is 26% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.55 ¥876

$6.25 ¥987

-11.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$31.70 ¥5,008

-1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥768

$4.90 ¥774

-0.82%

Cappuccino

$3.07 ¥486

$2.95 ¥466

4.07%

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

$0.72 ¥114

$1.44 ¥228

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥103

$0.75 ¥119

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥389

$2.65 ¥419

-7.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$3.87 ¥611

-17.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.44 ¥227

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.34 ¥211

22.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ¥423

$5.25 ¥830

-48.95%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥316

$2.14 ¥338

-6.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 ¥1,601

$9.33 ¥1,475

8.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ¥861

$9.22 ¥1,456

-40.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 ¥2,281

$18.39 ¥2,906

-21.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 ¥882

$3.43 ¥541

62.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.92 ¥303

17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 ¥449

$1.99 ¥314

42.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥662

$4.05 ¥640

3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.56 ¥247

67.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.17 ¥185

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.30 ¥205

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.88 ¥139

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥585

$4.00 ¥631

-7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 ¥999

$9.60 ¥1,517

-34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥274

$1.95 ¥308

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.24 ¥512

-34.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.39 ¥219

148.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.34 ¥5,109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$3.69 ¥583

-15.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥427

$3.07 ¥486

-12.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$21.76 ¥3,437

-7.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.09 ¥173

0.92%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-1.70%

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

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-4.71%

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

$131 ¥20.7K

$139 ¥22.0K

-5.81%

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

$17.62 ¥2,784

$24.50 ¥3,870

-28.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.87 ¥5,036

$30.67 ¥4,846

3.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ¥9,721

$49.03 ¥7,746

25.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 ¥1,757

$12.72 ¥2,010

-12.58%

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

$620 ¥97.9K

$510 ¥80.5K

21.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

15.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ¥5,514

$48.57 ¥7,673

-28.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.61 ¥4,047

$30.98 ¥4,894

-17.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.5 ¥8,772

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-25.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.9 ¥9,773

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥65.3K

$699 ¥110.5K

-40.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ¥37.4K

$510 ¥80.6K

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 ¥270.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 ¥122.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,183 ¥976.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,908 ¥301.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 ¥237.7K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-37.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

2.21

-6.79%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 19, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$275 27.4%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 9.6% $26

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$237 23.5%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 116% $274

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$181 17.9%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 7.6% $14

Eating Out

Saitama

$120 11.9%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 8.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$84 8.3%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 11.1% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Osaka

$110 8% 37.8% $30

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 87.1% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Saitama and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Saitama vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $302 per month, with Saitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saitama Osaka 400 km

From you

Saitama
Osaka

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

Saitama vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saitama and Osaka differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,007 vs $1,378 including rent). Saitama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Osaka. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Saitama versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $620 in Saitama versus $510 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Osaka. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,007 in Saitama versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Saitama and Osaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.