Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiga and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,207 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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
Learn more

Shiga Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Shiga versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Shiga $1,207
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,897 in Shiga versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Shiga $1,897
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,588 in Shiga versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Shiga $2,588
Osaka $2,658

Living in Shiga costs roughly 14% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shiga is 11% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥976

$6.50 ¥1,025

-4.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ¥5,003

$31.93 ¥5,034

-0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥782

$5.15 ¥812

-3.69%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ¥465

$3.03 ¥477

-2.64%

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

$1.31 ¥206

$1.39 ¥220

-5.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥110

$0.71 ¥112

-1.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.75 ¥433

0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ¥557

$3.89 ¥613

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.46 ¥230

-12.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 ¥196

$1.30 ¥204

-4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥613

$5.46 ¥862

-28.75%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥321

$2.03 ¥320

0.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 ¥1,490

$9.63 ¥1,518

-1.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 ¥1,450

$9.45 ¥1,491

-2.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,914

$18.58 ¥2,929

-0.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 ¥542

$3.39 ¥535

1.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.00 ¥315

1.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥322

$2.09 ¥329

-2.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 ¥625

$4.14 ¥653

-4.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.57 ¥247

-3.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.17 ¥185

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.37 ¥217

-0.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.81 ¥127

7.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$4.02 ¥634

-1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.77 ¥1,541

$9.72 ¥1,533

0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.94 ¥305

-2.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ¥493

$3.19 ¥502

-1.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ¥183

$1.35 ¥213

-14.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 ¥8,863

$32.79 ¥5,171

71.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ¥609

$3.90 ¥616

-1.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥504

$3.26 ¥514

-1.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.98 ¥3,466

$21.50 ¥3,390

2.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.11 ¥175

-1.80%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

1.61%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

2.74%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$141 ¥22.2K

-2.77%

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

$24.58 ¥3,876

$24.00 ¥3,785

2.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.76 ¥2,957

$30.50 ¥4,809

-38.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,202

$51.7 ¥8,157

0.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,974

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 ¥1,979

$12.85 ¥2,026

-2.33%

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

$697 ¥110.0K

$709 ¥111.7K

-1.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K ¥2.1M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

0.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.59 ¥7,662

$48.77 ¥7,691

-0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.84 ¥4,863

$30.94 ¥4,879

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ¥11.6K

$72.9 ¥11.5K

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 ¥14.2K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 ¥86.9K

$732 ¥115.4K

-24.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.1K

$516 ¥81.4K

-34.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 ¥157.3K

$1,693 ¥267.0K

-41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ¥114.7K

$773 ¥121.9K

-5.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,617 ¥728.0K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-29.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,022 ¥318.8K

$3,063 ¥483.0K

-34.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,210 ¥190.9K

$2,363 ¥372.6K

-48.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

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

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shiga

$337 27.9%

Osaka

$516 37% 53.2% $179

Groceries & Markets

Shiga

$294 24.4%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 3.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiga

$180 15%

Osaka

$195 14% 8.3% $15

Eating Out

Shiga

$129 10.7%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 3.9% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Shiga

$109 9.1%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Shiga

$81 6.7%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 27.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shiga

$77 6.4%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $551 in Shiga and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Shiga vs $32 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $305 per month, with Shiga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiga

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

Same time as Shiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,836

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shiga Osaka 69 km

From you

Shiga
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

Shiga vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,207 in Shiga and $1,396 in Osaka, so Shiga is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Shiga. 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: $551 in Shiga versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $697 in Shiga versus $709 in Osaka. 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 42% less than in Shiga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Shiga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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