Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,400 a month against $1,635 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,635 in Tokyo versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Tokyo $1,635
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,608 in Tokyo versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Tokyo $2,608
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,581 in Tokyo versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Tokyo $3,581
Osaka $2,582

Living in Tokyo is roughly 17% more expensive than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 22% above, Osaka 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,207

$6.19 ¥978

23.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 ¥6,087

$31.80 ¥5,026

21.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥799

$4.93 ¥780

2.43%

Cappuccino

$3.61 ¥570

$3.00 ¥474

20.33%

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

$1.62 ¥257

$1.45 ¥228

11.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥135

$0.72 ¥113

19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥583

$2.62 ¥415

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥834

$3.91 ¥618

34.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.46 ¥230

4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.31 ¥207

34.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$5.25 ¥830

6.48%

Eggs

$2.24 ¥354

$2.03 ¥321

10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ¥1,684

$9.77 ¥1,544

9.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$9.22 ¥1,458

-28.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 ¥2,646

$17.95 ¥2,838

-6.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$3.29 ¥519

47.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$2.00 ¥317

17.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.33 ¥684

$2.11 ¥333

105.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 ¥835

$4.11 ¥649

28.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.41 ¥539

$1.51 ¥239

125.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$1.19 ¥187

168.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.30 ¥206

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥131

$0.86 ¥137

-3.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥607

$3.82 ¥604

0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.27 ¥1,466

$9.74 ¥1,540

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.87 ¥296

-12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥434

$3.15 ¥498

-12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.34 ¥211

-3.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,819

$32.68 ¥5,165

90.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$3.85 ¥609

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$3.19 ¥504

0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.41 ¥2,909

$21.93 ¥3,466

-16.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.10 ¥173

-2.73%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

3.06%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

1.04%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$140 ¥22.1K

5.37%

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

$21.97 ¥3,472

$24.14 ¥3,816

-8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.43 ¥4,810

$30.58 ¥4,834

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$49.41 ¥7,810

31.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 ¥4,039

$18.41 ¥2,910

38.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.87 ¥2,034

$12.27 ¥1,939

4.89%

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

$1,360 ¥215.0K

$511 ¥80.8K

166.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$13.1K ¥2.1M

39.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ¥8,932

$47.50 ¥7,508

18.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 ¥5,241

$30.12 ¥4,761

10.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 ¥10.2K

$73.4 ¥11.6K

-12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$91.0 ¥14.4K

-21.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ¥201.5K

$704 ¥111.2K

81.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥111.0K

$508 ¥80.3K

38.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 ¥405.5K

$1,751 ¥276.8K

46.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 ¥234.0K

$765 ¥120.9K

93.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,152 ¥1.4M

$6,208 ¥981.2K

47.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥662.4K

$1,938 ¥306.4K

116.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.8K

$2,346 ¥370.8K

27.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

2.21

1.81%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$702 42.2%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 27.7% $194

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 7.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$200 12%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 2.6% $5.2

Eating Out

Tokyo

$158 9.5%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 18.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$102 6.1%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 7.2% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$91 5.5%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 18.6% $17

Getting Around

Tokyo

$86 5.2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 33.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,275 in Tokyo and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 28% 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: $39.00 in Tokyo vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $301 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

Same time as Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tokyo vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Osaka differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,635 vs $1,400 including rent). Osaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Tokyo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,275 in Tokyo versus $704 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 90% less than in Tokyo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,360 in Tokyo versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,635 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Osaka but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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, Tokyo 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 Osaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.