Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Osaka

For one person, living costs are similar in Taipei and in Osaka: $1,368 and $1,362 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Taipei versus $1,362 in Osaka.

Taipei $1,368
Osaka $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,202 in Taipei versus $1,986 in Osaka.

Taipei $2,202
Osaka $1,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,036 in Taipei versus $2,609 in Osaka.

Taipei $3,036
Osaka $2,609

Monthly costs are close between Taipei and Osaka; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taipei 1% above, Osaka 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$6.46 ¥1,021

-28.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$31.30 ¥4,945

50.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$4.90 ¥774

13.88%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$2.96 ¥468

16.55%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.37 ¥216

-31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$0.73 ¥116

-8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$2.74 ¥432

4.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$3.88 ¥614

-4.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.45 ¥230

115.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$1.29 ¥203

52.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$5.29 ¥835

-40.26%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.04 ¥323

31.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$9.63 ¥1,522

106.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.43 ¥1,489

4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$18.22 ¥2,878

18.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$3.31 ¥523

46.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.93 ¥305

68.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.03 ¥321

49.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$4.14 ¥654

9.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.52 ¥240

83.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.18 ¥187

98.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.37 ¥216

22.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$0.80 ¥126

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.86 ¥611

-1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$9.54 ¥1,507

48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.94 ¥307

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$3.07 ¥485

-25.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$1.34 ¥212

-51.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$32.00 ¥5,055

18.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$3.87 ¥611

-30.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$3.21 ¥507

-74.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$21.07 ¥3,328

-56.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.06 ¥167

-3.77%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

52.35%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

64.63%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$138 ¥21.7K

-36.29%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$24.11 ¥3,809

-28.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$30.75 ¥4,857

-10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$50.6 ¥7,997

-20.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$18.49 ¥2,921

-13.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$11.74 ¥1,855

-16.27%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$513 ¥81.0K

29.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

25.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$47.11 ¥7,442

32.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$30.51 ¥4,820

29.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$71.6 ¥11.3K

18.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$90.5 ¥14.3K

16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$698 ¥110.3K

43.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$498 ¥78.6K

-4.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$1,687 ¥266.5K

-7.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$755 ¥119.3K

25.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$6,157 ¥972.7K

93.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$1,964 ¥310.3K

272.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$2,386 ¥377.0K

-26.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.21

8.60%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Osaka

$498 36.5% 5.2% $24

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Osaka

$301 22.1% 24.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Osaka

$192 14.1% 45.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Osaka

$108 7.9% 17.9% $24

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Osaka

$132 9.7% 7.1% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 23.5% $14

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Osaka

$57 4.2% 21.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $999 in Taipei and $698 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47.00 in Taipei vs $31.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $301 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h ahead of Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

2,691,185

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Osaka 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
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

Taipei vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 36% 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: $999 in Taipei versus $698 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $663 in Taipei versus $513 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Osaka – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $47.00 in Taipei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,362 in Osaka versus $1,368 in Taipei, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Osaka but tight or insufficient in Taipei. The gap between the two cities makes Osaka 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, Taipei 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.

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