Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsukuba and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,103 a month against $1,378 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Tsukuba versus $1,378 in Osaka.

Tsukuba $1,103
Osaka $1,378

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,755 in Tsukuba versus $2,005 in Osaka.

Tsukuba $1,755
Osaka $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,407 in Tsukuba versus $2,632 in Osaka.

Tsukuba $2,407
Osaka $2,632

Living in Tsukuba costs roughly 20% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tsukuba is 19% below, Osaka is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,023

$6.25 ¥987

3.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.71 ¥5,168

$31.70 ¥5,008

3.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥777

$4.90 ¥774

0.41%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ¥427

$2.95 ¥466

-8.47%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$1.44 ¥228

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.75 ¥119

5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 ¥345

$2.65 ¥419

-17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥500

$3.87 ¥611

-18.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.44 ¥227

-2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥269

$1.34 ¥211

27.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ¥484

$5.25 ¥830

-41.52%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$2.14 ¥338

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 ¥1,647

$9.33 ¥1,475

11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 ¥936

$9.22 ¥1,456

-35.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 ¥2,277

$18.39 ¥2,906

-21.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 ¥877

$3.43 ¥541

61.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$1.92 ¥303

46.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ¥461

$1.99 ¥314

46.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$4.05 ¥640

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥396

$1.56 ¥247

60.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.17 ¥185

123.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.30 ¥205

-39.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.88 ¥139

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥584

$4.00 ¥631

-7.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ¥986

$9.60 ¥1,517

-35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.95 ¥308

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥321

$3.24 ¥512

-37.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.39 ¥219

4.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 ¥8,284

$32.34 ¥5,109

62.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.69 ¥583

-12.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$3.07 ¥486

-11.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.84 ¥3,292

$21.76 ¥3,437

-4.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.09 ¥173

-2.75%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-4.39%

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

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

18.32%

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

$132 ¥20.9K

$139 ¥22.0K

-5.13%

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

$24.06 ¥3,801

$24.50 ¥3,870

-1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.01 ¥5,057

$30.67 ¥4,846

4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥8,596

$49.03 ¥7,746

10.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥2,853

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 ¥1,972

$12.72 ¥2,010

-1.89%

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

$95.9 ¥15.1K

$510 ¥80.5K

-81.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$12.9K ¥2.0M

15.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.00 ¥7,584

$48.57 ¥7,673

-1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 ¥5,918

$30.98 ¥4,894

20.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.06 ¥6,014

$74.2 ¥11.7K

-48.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.32 ¥6,528

$91.5 ¥14.5K

-54.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥72.4K

$699 ¥110.5K

-34.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥44.1K

$510 ¥80.6K

-45.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 ¥171.6K

$1,710 ¥270.1K

-36.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.8K

$772 ¥122.0K

-17.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,177 ¥659.9K

$6,183 ¥976.8K

-32.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 ¥277.2K

$1,908 ¥301.4K

-8.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 ¥224.3K

$2,424 ¥382.9K

-41.42%

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 Tsukuba: October 20, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tsukuba

$283 25.7%

Osaka

$302 21.9% 6.4% $18

Accommodation & Living

Tsukuba

$279 25.3%

Osaka

$510 37.1% 82.8% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsukuba

$188 17.1%

Osaka

$194 14.1% 3.3% $6.2

Eating Out

Tsukuba

$123 11.2%

Osaka

$130 9.4% 5.3% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tsukuba

$79 7.2%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 6.2% $4.9

Getting Around

Tsukuba

$75 6.8%

Osaka

$57 4.1% 24.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Tsukuba

$74 6.7%

Osaka

$110 8% 48.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Tsukuba and $699 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 71% 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: $33.00 in Tsukuba vs $32.00 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $302, with Tsukuba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Tsukuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,398

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

Tsukuba vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsukuba and Osaka differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,103 vs $1,378 including rent). Tsukuba is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $458 in Tsukuba versus $699 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tsukuba runs roughly 62% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $95.9 in Tsukuba versus $510 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,103 in Tsukuba versus $1,378 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsukuba but tight or insufficient in Osaka. The gap between the two cities makes Tsukuba 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, Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.