✦ Compare
Istanbul 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.
To keep the same standard of living in Osaka, JP, you'd need
$133,489 / year
Osaka, JP is 78% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Osaka, JP vs Istanbul, TR)
- Housing+67%
- Food & groceries+88%
- Transport+105%
- Utilities+83%
- Healthcare+89%
- Goods & services+73%
◎ How Istanbul, TR and Osaka, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Istanbul, TR | Osaka, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 54 | 96 |
| Housing | 55 | 92 |
| Food | 52 | 98 |
| Transport | 40 | 82 |
| Utilities | 60 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 60 | 104 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $650/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $400/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,300/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,500 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,852 | $1,040 |
| Inexpensive meal | $6 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $30 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 40% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 15% | — |
| Corporate tax | 25% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $700/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $600/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $15,666 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | 44% | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 58 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 65 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 62 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 60 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 70 | 80 |
| Public transport | 72 | 88 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 72 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 78 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +24 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 190 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 810 mm | 1,300 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Turkey vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Istanbul
The only megacity straddling two continents — 15 million people where Europe meets Asia. Big-city energy, deep history and world-class food at a fraction of Western-European prices, offset by a volatile lira and long cross-Bosphorus commutes.
- Currency
- Turkish lira (₺ TRY)
- Languages
- Turkish
- Time zone
- UTC+3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 58/100
- Climate
- ❄ 6°C · ☀ 24°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- C/F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kadıköy · Beşiktaş · Cihangir · Şişli
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 Istanbul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- MoreAvitoVIP
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Plan your move to Osaka
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Istanbul to Osaka: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Istanbul to Osaka, your cost of living will be roughly 78% more expensive. Osaka’s cost-of-living index is 96 versus 54 for Istanbul (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Istanbul cheaper than Osaka?
Osaka is about 78% more expensive than Istanbul overall — its cost-of-living index is 96 versus 54 for Istanbul.
How much do you need to earn in Osaka to live like in Istanbul?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Istanbul is worth about $133,489 in Osaka. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Istanbul or Osaka?
Turkey has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Istanbul
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.