Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsu and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,265 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
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Tsu Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,265

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tsu versus $1,362 in Osaka.

Tsu $1,269
Osaka $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,979 in Tsu versus $1,986 in Osaka.

Tsu $1,979
Osaka $1,986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,688 in Tsu versus $2,609 in Osaka.

Tsu $2,688
Osaka $2,609

Living in Tsu costs roughly 7% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tsu is 6% below, Osaka is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,016

$6.25 ¥987

2.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.78 ¥2,809

$31.70 ¥5,008

-43.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.87 ¥612

$4.90 ¥774

-21.02%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥376

$2.95 ¥466

-19.32%

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

$1.18 ¥186

$1.44 ¥228

-18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.9

$0.75 ¥119

-22.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 ¥328

$2.65 ¥419

-21.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥354

$3.87 ¥611

-42.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.44 ¥227

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.34 ¥211

-5.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 ¥839

$5.25 ¥830

1.14%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥326

$2.14 ¥338

-3.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.86 ¥2,033

$9.33 ¥1,475

37.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$9.22 ¥1,456

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.36 ¥5,112

$18.39 ¥2,906

75.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.43 ¥541

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$1.92 ¥303

18.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥443

$1.99 ¥314

41.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥661

$4.05 ¥640

3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$1.56 ¥247

141.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 ¥559

$1.17 ¥185

202.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.30 ¥205

-1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥155

$0.88 ¥139

11.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ¥541

$4.00 ¥631

-14.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.07 ¥1,276

$9.60 ¥1,517

-15.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥321

$1.95 ¥308

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥240

$3.24 ¥512

-53.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$1.39 ¥219

5.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ¥8,591

$32.34 ¥5,109

68.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ¥488

$3.69 ¥583

-16.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 ¥496

$3.07 ¥486

2.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.05 ¥4,116

$21.76 ¥3,437

19.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 ¥160

$1.09 ¥173

-7.34%

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

$18.7K ¥3.0M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-15.96%

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

$16.8K ¥2.7M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

11.13%

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

$147 ¥23.2K

$139 ¥22.0K

5.76%

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

$23.94 ¥3,783

$24.50 ¥3,870

-2.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.50 ¥6,714

$30.67 ¥4,846

38.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ¥8,384

$49.03 ¥7,746

8.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.54 ¥1,982

$18.06 ¥2,853

-30.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 ¥1,322

$12.72 ¥2,010

-34.20%

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

$317 ¥50.1K

$510 ¥80.5K

-37.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,175 ¥975.5K

$12.9K ¥2.0M

-51.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,928

$48.57 ¥7,673

3.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 ¥3,956

$30.98 ¥4,894

-19.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.94 ¥7,258

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-38.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.3 ¥10.5K

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-27.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 ¥85.0K

$699 ¥110.5K

-23.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 ¥53.0K

$510 ¥80.6K

-34.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 ¥172.2K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 ¥117.8K

$772 ¥122.0K

-3.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,281 ¥676.3K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-30.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,752 ¥276.8K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-8.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,510 ¥238.6K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-37.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

2.21

-14.03%

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

Last update for Tsu: October 19, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tsu

$370 29.2%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 18.4% $68

Accommodation & Living

Tsu

$335 26.5%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 52.2% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsu

$214 16.9%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 9% $19

Eating Out

Tsu

$114 9%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 14.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Tsu

$84 6.7%

Osaka

$110 8% 30.8% $26

Getting Around

Tsu

$79 6.2%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 27.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Tsu

$70 5.5%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 6.7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $521 in Tsu and $698 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 58% 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: $18.00 in Tsu vs $31.00 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $301, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsu

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

Same time as Tsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

279,241

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)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tsu vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsu and Osaka differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,269 vs $1,362 including rent). Tsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $521 in Tsu versus $698 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tsu runs roughly 64% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $318 in Tsu versus $513 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,269 in Tsu versus $1,362 in Osaka, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tsu but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Tsu 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, Tsu 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 Tsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.