# Cost of living in Osaka, Japan

> Tokyo’s infrastructure at roughly 65% of its housing cost, with a warmer climate and a smaller English-speaking bubble.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/osaka
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 45% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** JPY
- **Region:** East Asia
- **Cost index:** 35 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,202 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $3,262 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $5,925 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $750 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $114 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $50 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $46 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $569 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $42 | estimated | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $50 | estimated | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $46 | estimated | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $27 | estimated | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $77 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $141 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $16 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $55 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $13 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $99 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $108 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$2,202** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Japan:

- Income tax: $20,892
- Employee social contributions: $25,000
- Take-home: $54,108/year ($4,509/month)
- Effective rate: 45.9%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $2,307/month

Average local net salary: $2,200/month, which covers 1.0x the one-adult budget.

- Employment income deduction approximated as a flat allowance.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 92 |
| Healthcare | 86 |
| Air quality | 68 |
| Public transport | 94 |
| Walkability | 86 |
| English proficiency | 26 |
| Family friendliness | 82 |
| Nightlife | 86 |
| Median broadband | 265 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 17°C; summer highs 33°C; winter lows 3°C; 2050 sunshine hours and 1400 mm of rain a year. Climate type: subtropical.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 5.1, 5.7, 9.7, 15.3, 18.6, 23.3, 28.8, 29.9, 27.1, 19.5, 12.7, 7.6.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 39, 71, 124, 147, 247, 332, 174, 156, 148, 138, 106, 34.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- Six-month digital-nomad visa for nationals of treaty countries with roughly ¥10m annual income.
- Coast: 40 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: Asia/Tokyo
- Metro population: 19.0 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 45% derived, 55% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/osaka
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/osaka
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities