Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,265 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Osaka outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,265

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Wakayama versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Wakayama $1,265
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Wakayama versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Wakayama $2,078
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,890 in Wakayama versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Wakayama $2,890
Osaka $2,658

Living in Wakayama costs roughly 9% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wakayama is 7% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.32 ¥998

$6.50 ¥1,027

-2.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ¥5,089

$31.93 ¥5,041

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 ¥824

$5.15 ¥813

1.36%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ¥412

$3.03 ¥478

-13.86%

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

$1.30 ¥205

$1.39 ¥220

-6.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 ¥150

$0.71 ¥113

33.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.75 ¥434

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥298

$3.89 ¥614

-51.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.46 ¥230

4.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.30 ¥205

18.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.06 ¥641

$5.46 ¥863

-25.64%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥348

$2.03 ¥321

8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 ¥2,460

$9.63 ¥1,520

61.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 ¥1,095

$9.45 ¥1,492

-26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 ¥2,680

$18.58 ¥2,933

-8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$8.61 ¥1,359

$3.39 ¥535

153.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 ¥472

$2.00 ¥316

49.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥813

$2.09 ¥329

146.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.67 ¥1,211

$4.14 ¥654

85.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ¥617

$1.57 ¥247

149.04%

Onion (1kg)

$4.57 ¥721

$1.17 ¥185

290.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.37 ¥217

-13.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.81 ¥128

16.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$4.02 ¥635

-3.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$9.72 ¥1,535

-0.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ¥398

$1.94 ¥306

29.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.19 ¥503

-33.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 ¥254

$1.35 ¥213

19.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.7 ¥10.1K

$32.79 ¥5,178

94.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.90 ¥616

-17.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 ¥462

$3.26 ¥515

-10.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 ¥2,498

$21.50 ¥3,395

-26.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.11 ¥176

-0.90%

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

$22.2K ¥3.5M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

-0.69%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

1.13%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$141 ¥22.3K

-16.24%

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

$23.84 ¥3,764

$24.00 ¥3,790

-0.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.84 ¥5,027

$30.50 ¥4,815

4.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.43 ¥7,804

$51.7 ¥8,168

-4.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 ¥1,991

$12.85 ¥2,028

-1.87%

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

$685 ¥108.2K

$709 ¥111.9K

-3.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

13.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 ¥7,942

$48.77 ¥7,700

3.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.61 ¥5,622

$30.94 ¥4,885

15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.8 ¥9,593

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 ¥15.7K

$90.8 ¥14.3K

9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ¥75.0K

$732 ¥115.6K

-35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ¥49.1K

$516 ¥81.5K

-39.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ¥181.0K

$1,693 ¥267.3K

-32.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 ¥127.8K

$773 ¥122.1K

4.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,633 ¥731.5K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-29.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,252 ¥355.6K

$3,063 ¥483.6K

-26.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,949 ¥623.5K

$2,363 ¥373.1K

67.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

2.21

-24.43%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wakayama

$381 30.1%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 19.9% $76

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$311 24.6%

Osaka

$516 37% 65.9% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$174 13.7%

Osaka

$195 14% 12.5% $22

Eating Out

Wakayama

$126 10%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 6.2% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$111 8.8%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 1.1% $1.2

Getting Around

Wakayama

$88 7%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 33.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$75 5.9%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 3.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $475 in Wakayama and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Wakayama vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $381 vs $305, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

Same time as Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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

Wakayama vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakayama and Osaka differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,265 vs $1,396 including rent). Wakayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 67% higher in Wakayama, 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: $475 in Wakayama versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $685 in Wakayama versus $709 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 49% less than in Wakayama. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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.