Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamaguchi and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $1,396 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,202

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Yamaguchi versus $1,396 in Osaka.

Yamaguchi $1,202
Osaka $1,396

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,849 in Yamaguchi versus $2,027 in Osaka.

Yamaguchi $1,849
Osaka $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,495 in Yamaguchi versus $2,658 in Osaka.

Yamaguchi $2,495
Osaka $2,658

Living in Yamaguchi costs roughly 14% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yamaguchi is 12% below, Osaka is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 ¥600

$6.50 ¥1,027

-41.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.96 ¥5,047

$31.93 ¥5,041

0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥793

$5.15 ¥813

-2.52%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ¥586

$3.03 ¥478

22.44%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.39 ¥220

-24.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.71 ¥113

5.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 ¥612

$2.75 ¥434

41.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥349

$3.89 ¥614

-43.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.46 ¥230

6.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ¥288

$1.30 ¥205

40.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.61 ¥1,044

$5.46 ¥863

21.06%

Eggs

$2.21 ¥349

$2.03 ¥321

8.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.53 ¥2,926

$9.63 ¥1,520

92.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 ¥833

$9.45 ¥1,492

-44.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$18.58 ¥2,933

2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$3.39 ¥535

9.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.00 ¥316

-6.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$2.09 ¥329

34.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$4.14 ¥654

-21.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 ¥351

$1.57 ¥247

41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.17 ¥185

117.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ¥171

$1.37 ¥217

-21.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.81 ¥128

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥638

$4.02 ¥635

0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ¥979

$9.72 ¥1,535

-36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ¥263

$1.94 ¥306

-13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ¥302

$3.19 ¥503

-40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.35 ¥213

9.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 ¥8,016

$32.79 ¥5,178

54.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.90 ¥616

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.42 ¥382

$3.26 ¥515

-25.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.73 ¥2,799

$21.50 ¥3,395

-17.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.11 ¥176

-3.60%

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

$22.5K ¥3.6M

$22.3K ¥3.5M

1.01%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$14.9K ¥2.3M

3.29%

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

$214 ¥33.8K

$141 ¥22.3K

51.83%

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

$24.94 ¥3,938

$24.00 ¥3,790

3.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.47 ¥5,284

$30.50 ¥4,815

9.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,321

$51.7 ¥8,168

1.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 ¥2,978

Cinema Ticket

$12.67 ¥2,000

$12.85 ¥2,028

-1.40%

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

$695 ¥109.8K

$709 ¥111.9K

-1.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$13.2K ¥2.1M

-8.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.71 ¥7,690

$48.77 ¥7,700

-0.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.97 ¥4,101

$30.94 ¥4,885

-16.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 ¥10.4K

$72.9 ¥11.5K

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.76 ¥7,541

$90.8 ¥14.3K

-47.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ¥64.6K

$732 ¥115.6K

-44.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 ¥40.4K

$516 ¥81.5K

-50.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 ¥127.2K

$1,693 ¥267.3K

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 ¥90.3K

$773 ¥122.1K

-26.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,869 ¥768.8K

$6,542 ¥1.0M

-25.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥316.8K

$3,063 ¥483.6K

-34.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,363 ¥373.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.21

-10.86%

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

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yamaguchi

$317 26.4%

Osaka

$305 21.9% 3.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yamaguchi

$272 22.7%

Osaka

$195 14% 28.3% $77

Accommodation & Living

Yamaguchi

$256 21.3%

Osaka

$516 37% 102% $260

Eating Out

Yamaguchi

$121 10.1%

Osaka

$134 9.6% 10.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1%

Osaka

$110 7.9% 29.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Yamaguchi

$78 6.5%

Osaka

$77 5.6% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Yamaguchi

$73 6.1%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 19.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Yamaguchi and $732 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Yamaguchi vs $32 in Osaka. Groceries flip the comparison at $317 vs $305, with Osaka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

Same time as Yamaguchi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,966

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

Yamaguchi vs Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi and Osaka differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,202 vs $1,396 including rent). Yamaguchi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,803 in Yamaguchi and $2,094 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: $409 in Yamaguchi versus $732 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $695 in Yamaguchi 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 35% less than in Yamaguchi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yamaguchi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Yamaguchi 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.