✦ Compare
Chicago vs
Osaka
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Chicago, IL vs Osaka, JP at a glance — Osaka, JP is 6% cheaper than Chicago, IL overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $850/mo versus $1,900/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Osaka, JP, you'd need
$70,182 / year
Osaka, JP is 6% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Osaka, JP vs Chicago, IL)
- Housing-21%
- Food & groceries+3%
- Transport-19%
- Utilities+22%
- Healthcare-13%
- Goods & services+6%
◎ How Chicago, IL and Osaka, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Chicago, IL | Osaka, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 103 | 96 |
| Housing | 116 | 92 |
| Food | 95 | 98 |
| Transport | 101 | 82 |
| Utilities | 90 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 98 | 104 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,900/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,450/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $3,600/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $973 | $1,040 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $105 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | — |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 30% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $86,977✓ | $50,183✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $35,951✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | — | 3.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Native | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 90 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 66 | 79 |
| Safety index | 48 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 80 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 45 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 80 |
| Public transport | 78 | 88 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 72 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -4 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 189 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 950 mm | 1,300 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Chicago vs Osaka — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
Good to know before you move to Osaka
Japan's warm, wisecracking second city and its street-food heart — cheaper and more laid-back than Tokyo, with the same safety, transit and reliability. The gateway to Kansai (Kyoto and Kobe are minutes away), it's an easy-going base with a big food and startup scene.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 230 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 28°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Namba · Umeda · Tennoji · Nakazakicho
Plan your move to Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Osaka
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Chicago to Osaka: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Chicago to Osaka, your cost of living will be roughly 6% cheaper. Osaka’s cost-of-living index is 96 versus 103 for Chicago (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Chicago cheaper than Osaka?
Osaka is about 6% cheaper than Chicago overall — its cost-of-living index is 96 versus 103 for Chicago.
Which is more expensive, Chicago or Osaka?
Chicago is more expensive than Osaka. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 96 (US = 100) — about 7% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Chicago or Osaka?
Rent is cheaper in Osaka — about $850/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,900 in Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Osaka to live like in Chicago?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Chicago is worth about $70,182 in Osaka. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Chicago or Osaka?
United States has the lower top income-tax rate — 37% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Chicago
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.