Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,176 a month against $1,409 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,176

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sendai 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 Sendai and in Osaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Sendai versus $1,409 in Osaka.

Sendai $1,176
Osaka $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,851 in Sendai versus $2,057 in Osaka.

Sendai $1,851
Osaka $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,527 in Sendai versus $2,706 in Osaka.

Sendai $2,527
Osaka $2,706

Living in Sendai costs roughly 17% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sendai is 13% below, Osaka is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 ¥1,012

$6.27 ¥990

2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.38 ¥5,428

$31.41 ¥4,960

9.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 ¥745

$4.89 ¥772

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$3.63 ¥573

$2.99 ¥473

21.40%

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

$1.02 ¥162

$1.43 ¥226

-28.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.75 ¥118

14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 ¥293

$2.74 ¥433

-32.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.86 ¥609

-20.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 ¥222

$1.46 ¥230

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.29 ¥204

15.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 ¥1,073

$5.39 ¥852

25.97%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥332

$2.07 ¥327

1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ¥1,712

$10.55 ¥1,666

2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 ¥1,831

$10.18 ¥1,607

13.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 ¥1,397

$25.32 ¥3,999

-65.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 ¥539

$3.33 ¥526

2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 ¥349

$1.95 ¥307

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ¥733

$2.04 ¥322

127.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 ¥498

$4.13 ¥652

-23.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.52 ¥241

65.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$1.13 ¥178

100.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.36 ¥215

2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.86 ¥135

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ¥710

$3.89 ¥614

15.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 ¥1,072

$12.51 ¥1,975

-45.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.94 ¥306

-15.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ¥436

$3.14 ¥495

-12.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.32 ¥208

14.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.94 ¥5,990

$33.27 ¥5,253

14.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.35 ¥845

$3.72 ¥587

43.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥425

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.36 ¥2,898

$26.85 ¥4,240

-31.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.05 ¥166

5.71%

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

$16.0K ¥2.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-27.94%

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

$25.5K ¥4.0M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

66.92%

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

$140 ¥22.1K

$141 ¥22.2K

-0.33%

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

$30.45 ¥4,808

$24.75 ¥3,907

23.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.00 ¥5,527

$31.11 ¥4,912

12.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.12 ¥7,125

$51.0 ¥8,046

-11.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.64 ¥1,996

$18.38 ¥2,902

-31.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 ¥1,596

$12.59 ¥1,988

-19.70%

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

$225 ¥35.5K

$685 ¥108.2K

-67.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,760 ¥593.7K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

-76.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 ¥9,025

$48.04 ¥7,585

18.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 ¥5,298

$30.67 ¥4,843

9.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.61 ¥5,623

$74.3 ¥11.7K

-52.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 ¥8,430

$90.1 ¥14.2K

-40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 ¥91.7K

$739 ¥116.6K

-21.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$504 ¥79.5K

-33.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 ¥107.8K

$1,700 ¥268.5K

-59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 ¥114.9K

$761 ¥120.2K

-4.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ¥428.3K

$6,708 ¥1.1M

-59.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 ¥221.5K

$3,145 ¥496.6K

-55.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 ¥154.0K

$2,295 ¥362.4K

-57.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

2.21

23.53%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 31, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$336 28.6%

Osaka

$504 35.8% 49.7% $167

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$306 26%

Osaka

$337 23.9% 9.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$206 17.5%

Osaka

$196 13.9% 4.4% $9.1

Eating Out

Sendai

$132 11.2%

Osaka

$131 9.3% 0.8% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Osaka

$109 7.8% 35.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Osaka

$76 5.4% 16.5% $11

Getting Around

Sendai

$49 * 4.2%

Osaka

$56 4% 13% $6.4

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 $581 in Sendai and $739 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Sendai vs $31 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $337, with Sendai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

Same time as Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sendai Osaka 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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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

Sendai vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,176 in Sendai and $1,409 in Osaka, so Sendai is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Sendai. 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: $581 in Sendai versus $739 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 12% less than in Sendai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $225 in Sendai versus $685 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sendai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Sendai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Osaka, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sendai and Osaka are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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