Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setagaya-ku and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,362 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,362 in Osaka.

Setagaya-ku $1,183
Osaka $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,986 in Osaka.

Setagaya-ku $1,834
Osaka $1,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,484 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,609 in Osaka.

Setagaya-ku $2,484
Osaka $2,609

Living in Setagaya-ku costs roughly 13% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Setagaya-ku is 12% below, Osaka is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥968

$6.46 ¥1,021

-5.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.64 ¥4,050

$31.30 ¥4,945

-18.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥690

$4.90 ¥774

-11.02%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥470

$2.96 ¥468

0.34%

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

$1.04 ¥165

$1.37 ¥216

-24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥102

$0.73 ¥116

-10.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥346

$2.74 ¥432

-20.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.88 ¥614

-17.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.45 ¥230

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.29 ¥203

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 ¥575

$5.29 ¥835

-31.19%

Eggs

$1.17 ¥186

$2.04 ¥323

-42.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 ¥1,643

$9.63 ¥1,522

8.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ¥965

$9.43 ¥1,489

-35.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥2,252

$18.22 ¥2,878

-21.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$3.31 ¥523

68.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.93 ¥305

41.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥466

$2.03 ¥321

45.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.52 ¥240

72.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.18 ¥187

122.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.37 ¥216

-9.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥87.7

$0.80 ¥126

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.86 ¥611

-1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 ¥989

$9.54 ¥1,507

-34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.94 ¥307

-6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$3.07 ¥485

-31.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.34 ¥212

8.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 ¥8,012

$32.00 ¥5,055

58.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$3.87 ¥611

-16.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥421

$3.21 ¥507

-17.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.85 ¥3,294

$21.07 ¥3,328

-1.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.06 ¥167

3.77%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-1.45%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$14.9K ¥2.4M

24.61%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$138 ¥21.7K

-5.07%

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

$23.82 ¥3,764

$24.11 ¥3,809

-1.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 ¥5,013

$30.75 ¥4,857

3.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥8,691

$50.6 ¥7,997

8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.49 ¥2,921

Cinema Ticket

$11.52 ¥1,820

$11.74 ¥1,855

-1.87%

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

$636 ¥100.5K

$513 ¥81.0K

24.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

11.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,846

$47.11 ¥7,442

32.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 ¥5,747

$30.51 ¥4,820

19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 ¥9,814

$71.6 ¥11.3K

-13.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.2K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$698 ¥110.3K

-23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$498 ¥78.6K

-34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 ¥182.0K

$1,687 ¥266.5K

-31.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 ¥106.4K

$755 ¥119.3K

-10.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,724 ¥588.4K

$6,157 ¥972.7K

-39.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,635 ¥258.4K

$1,964 ¥310.3K

-16.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 ¥377.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

-9.50%

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

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5%

Osaka

$498 36.5% 53.1% $173

Groceries & Markets

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7%

Osaka

$301 22.1% 7.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7%

Osaka

$192 14.1% 3.4% $6.3

Eating Out

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3%

Osaka

$132 9.7% 8.1% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Setagaya-ku

$118 10%

Osaka

$108 7.9% 8.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 5.1% $4

Getting Around

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2%

Osaka

$57 4.2% 21.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Setagaya-ku and $698 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Setagaya-ku vs $31.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $301 per month, with Setagaya-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

Same time as Setagaya-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

943,664

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

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Setagaya-ku vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku and Osaka differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,183 vs $1,362 including rent). Setagaya-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,775 in Setagaya-ku and $2,044 in Osaka 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: $534 in Setagaya-ku versus $698 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Setagaya-ku runs roughly 58% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $636 in Setagaya-ku versus $513 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,362 in Osaka, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku 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, Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.