Cost of living in Tokyo vs Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka

The cost of living in Tokyo is higher than in Osaka, Nagoya or Fukuoka, and rent is most of the gap. As of October 2026, the latest official figures (2023) put average private rent at ¥100,530 a month in Tokyo’s 23 wards, against ¥65,701 in Osaka, ¥65,237 in Nagoya and ¥59,656 in Fukuoka. Pay differs much less: the FY2026 minimum wage is ¥1,280 an hour in Tokyo and ¥1,114 in Fukuoka.

This guide compares the four cities with official statistics only. For a national picture, start with the cost of living in Japan for foreign residents.

How much more is rent in Tokyo than in Osaka, Nagoya or Fukuoka?

The Housing and Land Survey (住宅・土地統計調査) is run every five years. The 2023 results give the average monthly rent of private rental housing (民営借家), all sizes and building types, excluding zero-rent units:

The national average was ¥65,496. Osaka and Nagoya sit almost exactly on it, so the real outlier is Tokyo, not the other cities.

These are averages across all unit sizes. Rents also vary a lot inside each city. Including zero-rent units, for example, Osaka’s Fukushima ward averaged ¥76,960 and Nagoya’s Higashi ward ¥73,875, well above their city averages of ¥65,412 and ¥64,799. The survey is from October 2023, so today’s asking rents for a new lease are likely higher. We did not confirm a current figure.

What do households spend in each city?

The Household Survey (家計調査) reports what households of two or more people spend. These are 2025 annual averages, divided by 12 here:

Three points to read carefully:

• Food is where Tokyo stands out after rent. Tokyo households spend about 19% more on food than the national average, and Fukuoka about 3% less. Eating out is about 58% higher in Tokyo than in Fukuoka.
• Transport costs more in Tokyo. Households there spend about twice as much on transport fares (交通) as in Osaka.
• Utilities are close to equal. Electricity, gas and water differ by only about ¥1,700 a month across the four cities.

Nagoya’s total is above Tokyo’s. Car costs explain part of it: Nagoya households spent about ¥447,500 a year on car-related costs, against about ¥220,100 in Tokyo, and the Nagoya sample was only 96 households. If you will not own a car, ignore that line.

Do wages differ enough to matter?

Only a little, on the legal minimum. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) published recommended FY2026 regional minimum wages on 3 September 2026, with the previous rate in brackets:

Start dates can change after objections are heard. See the minimum wage guide for how it works.

A quick comparison: Tokyo’s minimum is ¥166 an hour above Fukuoka’s. At 160 hours a month, that is about ¥26,560 before tax, which does not cover the rent gap of about ¥40,900. Pay above the minimum depends on the employer, so check your actual offer.

What should a foreign resident check before choosing a city?

Prices are only part of it. Check these before you move:

1. Move-in costs. Our official tables do not include deposits, key money or a guarantor company fee, so add them yourself. Read how renting an apartment as a foreigner works before you compare listings.
2. Room type. If Tokyo rent is the problem, see our share house guide.
3. Your take-home pay. Social insurance and tax come out of your salary in every city. See take-home pay in Japan and resident tax.
4. Car or no car. Nagoya and Fukuoka households spend more on cars than Osaka and Tokyo households, per the 2025 survey. Transport-fare spending is lowest in Osaka.
5. Support in your language. The Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁) runs the Foreign Residents Support Center (外国人在留支援センター, FRESC) in Yotsuya, Tokyo, phone 0570-011000, weekdays 9:00 to 17:00. Its page also lists a multilingual center in Fukuoka, “FUKUOKA IS OPEN”. Check local city offices for Osaka and Nagoya.

For visa questions that depend on where you live or work, ask a licensed immigration and administrative specialist (行政書士).

What did we not confirm?

• Spending by foreign households: no official city-level data exists in what we reviewed.
• Current asking rents and move-in costs by city.
• Single-person household spending by city. The table above is for two or more people.
• Whether each minimum wage change is already in force. The dates above are planned.

The 2023 rent figures come from the official table as mirrored by ecitizen.jp. We did not open the same table on e-Stat directly.

More guides: cost of living in Japan, renting an apartment, minimum wage in Japan, take-home pay.