Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,409 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,240 in Ube versus $1,409 in Osaka.

Ube $1,240
Osaka $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,925 in Ube versus $2,057 in Osaka.

Ube $1,925
Osaka $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,610 in Ube versus $2,706 in Osaka.

Ube $2,610
Osaka $2,706

Living in Ube costs roughly 12% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ube is 8% below, Osaka is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 ¥1,106

$6.27 ¥993

11.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.82 ¥5,516

$31.41 ¥4,975

10.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ¥889

$4.89 ¥775

14.72%

Cappuccino

$3.20 ¥507

$2.99 ¥474

7.02%

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

$1.14 ¥181

$1.43 ¥226

-20.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.75 ¥119

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.74 ¥434

-26.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$3.86 ¥611

-19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥240

$1.46 ¥231

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥249

$1.29 ¥204

21.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$5.39 ¥854

-10.95%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥349

$2.07 ¥328

6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 ¥1,573

$10.55 ¥1,671

-5.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ¥1,009

$10.18 ¥1,612

-37.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,455

$25.32 ¥4,011

-38.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ¥832

$3.33 ¥528

57.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.95 ¥308

34.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 ¥629

$2.04 ¥323

94.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 ¥707

$4.13 ¥654

7.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥524

$1.52 ¥241

117.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥427

$1.13 ¥179

138.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.36 ¥216

1.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.86 ¥136

-4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥640

$3.89 ¥616

3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 ¥1,053

$12.51 ¥1,981

-46.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.94 ¥307

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ¥372

$3.14 ¥497

-25.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$1.32 ¥209

21.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 ¥8,948

$33.27 ¥5,270

69.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 ¥537

$3.72 ¥589

-8.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥459

$2.69 ¥426

7.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.04 ¥3,333

$26.85 ¥4,253

-21.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥188

$1.05 ¥166

12.38%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

2.51%

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

$17.2K ¥2.7M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

12.86%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$141 ¥22.3K

0.93%

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

$27.14 ¥4,299

$24.75 ¥3,920

9.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.42 ¥5,453

$31.11 ¥4,928

10.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ¥9,147

$51.0 ¥8,072

13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 ¥2,207

$18.38 ¥2,912

-24.21%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ¥2,049

$12.59 ¥1,994

2.78%

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

$277 ¥44.0K

$685 ¥108.5K

-59.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

-14.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 ¥6,769

$48.04 ¥7,610

-11.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.68 ¥4,702

$30.67 ¥4,858

-3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 ¥9,502

$74.3 ¥11.8K

-19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ¥14.4K

$90.1 ¥14.3K

1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥73.2K

$739 ¥117.0K

-37.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.3K

$504 ¥79.8K

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 ¥136.2K

$1,700 ¥269.3K

-49.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.6K

$761 ¥120.6K

-14.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,856 ¥452.4K

$6,708 ¥1.1M

-57.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,757 ¥278.3K

$3,145 ¥498.2K

-44.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,295 ¥363.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

2.21

-18.10%

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

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ube

$330 26.6%

Osaka

$504 35.8% 52.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$306 24.7%

Osaka

$337 23.9% 10.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Osaka

$196 13.9% 3.4% $7

Eating Out

Ube

$135 10.9%

Osaka

$131 9.3% 3.2% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.1%

Osaka

$109 7.8% 8.8% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Osaka

$76 5.4% 8.9% $7.5

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Osaka

$56 4% 31% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $462 in Ube and $739 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Ube vs $31 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $337, with Ube cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

Same time as Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Ube vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,240 in Ube and $1,409 in Osaka, so Ube is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,859 in Ube and $2,113 in Osaka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $462 in Ube versus $739 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 41% less than in Ube. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $277 in Ube versus $685 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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