How Much Does It Cost to Live in Osaka?
The cost of living in Osaka, as usual, depends a lot on your living expectations, since everyone has a unique perception of what a decent life means: from the type and quantity of food to the size and comfort of your living space.
The most expensive thing about Osaka, as usual, is the rent.
If you take care of that, other aspects of living there are of pretty decent value.
Many people living in Osaka say that if you can spend only half of your salary on rental, and save the other half for transportation, groceries, recreation, and utilities then you’ll probably be able to live comfortably.
Cost of Living Breakdown in Osaka
RESTAURANTS
Restaurants are actually considered very cheap in Osaka.
It is a city of excellent food, and you can try meals like Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, and Kushikatsu which are really famous and lip-smacking dishes of Osaka for a really low price at many restaurants in this city.
A delicious meal like that in a relatively inexpensive restaurant will cost you less than 10$.
| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $7.36 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $3.13 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.76 |
MARKETS
The good thing about Osaka is that you can find good deals on meat at markets, cheap Japanese veggies, and okay, some very expensive fruit.
Japanese supermarkets offer cheap, fresh, and versatile products and if you plan on cooking all month, it will cost around 400$ monthly.
Cooking your food is much cheaper than eating out in restaurants.
| Average Market Prices | |
|---|---|
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.40 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $1.49 |
| Eggs (12) | $1.76 |
TRANSPORTATION
Public transportation is cheap, well organized, and abundant, but count on all prices going up at least 30% in Tokyo.
Apart from that, another good thing is that most companies bear your travel expense.
Otherwise, you can estimate it to be around 100$ a month, all depending on your traveling routine.
| Average Transport Prices | |
|---|---|
| One Way Ticket | $1.7 |
| Monthly Pass | $72.88 |
| Gasoline | $1.22 |
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities aren’t exactly through the roof, but they aren’t cheap either.
If you live in a larger apartment of about 85m2, the basic utilities like gas, electricity, heating, and cooling will cost you around 140$ which is less than Japan’s average.
The price of the bills goes up during winters and summers (heating and cooling affect your wallet greatly).
| Average Utilities Prices | |
|---|---|
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $139.01 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.23 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $33.22 |
SPORTS & LEISURE
Enjoying sports activities is extremely costly in Osaka!
Membership in a gym or a fitness club will cost you a whopping 60$!
The same goes for having some fun visiting cinemas or theaters during your free time: just one cinema ticket costs as much as 13$.
An expensive way to have fun, that’s for sure!
| Average Leisure Prices | |
|---|---|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $61.47 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $26.93 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $13.25 |
CLOTHING & SHOES
Shopping for clothing and shoes, in turn, is much cheaper.
If you want to go visit any of the thousands and monumental shopping malls that Japan boasts – that might not be a bad idea.
A pair of quality jeans costs around 45.70$, a summer dress almost half as much, while quality sneakers are somewhere around 65$.
| Average Clothing Prices | |
|---|---|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $45.70 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $23.92 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $65.02 |
RENT PER MONTH
Rent is somewhat high, but by Osaka standards, it is not through the roof.
However, rent still takes up most of the expenditure.
For example, if you’re looking to rent an apartment in the city center, you won’t find one below 700$ and if you want one outside of the city center, it will cost you over 370.43 $$.
| Average Rent Prices | |
|---|---|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $611.42 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $370.43 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $1648.22 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Osaka?
An average person living in Osaka spends most of their money on food, the most common situation in the entire world.
The next piece of expenditure is the rent. Compared to many other expensive tourist destinations around the world, the rent in Osaka really isn’t that shockingly high, but it is still considered expensive.
Transportation is the next expense on the table, since everywhere in Japan people absolutely need to use at least one means of transport, and this applies to Osaka too.
An average person also spends more money on sports activities than on utilities.
Average Costs Breakdown
Osaka: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
Though life in Osaka is definitely expensive and at a high standard, so are the citizens’ paychecks and minimum wages.
A minimum wage in Japan amounts to 1,432.7$ which is enough for an average citizen of Japan to make ends meet.
In turn, the average monthly net salary is a bit over 2,261.70 $, and that makes it enough money to live comfortably in this city, and have enough to invest in all aspects of life.
Japan’s strong economy and high standard of life are visible in Osaka, too.
Osaka Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Osaka Safety Review
| OVERALL RISK | LOW |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK | LOW |
| PICKPOCKETS RISK | MEDIUM |
| NATURAL DISASTERS RISK | HIGH |
| MUGGING RISK | LOW |
| TERRORISM RISK | LOW |
| SCAMS RISK | LOW |
| WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK | LOW |
| TAP WATER RISK | LOW |
Cost of Living by City in Japan
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
 Tokyo |
84.78 |
Whoa, half your salary going to rent? That really makes the costs stack up and leaves little breathing room.