✦ Compare
Mexico City 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.
Mexico City, MX vs Osaka, JP at a glance — Osaka, JP is 49% more expensive than Mexico City, MX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $850/mo versus $800/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Osaka, JP, you'd need
$111,953 / year
Osaka, JP is 49% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Osaka, JP vs Mexico City, MX)
- Housing+53%
- Food & groceries+51%
- Transport+64%
- Utilities+38%
- Healthcare+31%
- Goods & services+49%
◎ How Mexico City, MX and Osaka, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Mexico City, MX | Osaka, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 64 | 96 |
| Housing | 60 | 92 |
| Food | 65 | 98 |
| Transport | 50 | 82 |
| Utilities | 80 | 110 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 70 | 104 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $800/mo | $850/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $550/mo | $600/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,600/mo | $1,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,200 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,553 | $1,040 |
| Inexpensive meal | $5 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $20 | $60 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 16% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $700/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $24,463✓ | $50,183✓ |
| Minimum wage | $420/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $13,889✓ | $35,951✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.8%✓ | 3.2%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 70 | 25 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 56 | 79 |
| Safety index | 40 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 68 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 75 | 40 |
| Internet speed | 80 Mbps | 230 Mbps |
| Walkability | 68 | 80 |
| Public transport | 70 | 88 |
| Family-friendly | 60 | 72 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $80/mo | — |
| Life expectancy | 75 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +14 °C | +6 °C |
| July avg | +17 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 240 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 850 mm | 1,300 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Mexico vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Mexico City vs Osaka — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Mexico City
A vast, vibrant capital with a perfect spring-like climate — a top nomad pick, though air and traffic bite.
- Currency
- Mexican peso ($ MXN)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 40/100
- Climate
- ❄ 14°C · ☀ 17°C · 240 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/B · 127V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Roma · Condesa · Polanco
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 Mexico City
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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 Mexico City to Osaka: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Mexico City to Osaka, your cost of living will be roughly 49% more expensive. Osaka’s cost-of-living index is 96 versus 64 for Mexico City (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Mexico City cheaper than Osaka?
Osaka is about 49% more expensive than Mexico City overall — its cost-of-living index is 96 versus 64 for Mexico City.
Which is more expensive, Mexico City or Osaka?
Osaka is more expensive than Mexico City. Its cost-of-living index is 96 vs 64 (US = 100) — about 50% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Mexico City or Osaka?
Rent is cheaper in Mexico City — about $800/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $850 in Osaka.
How much do you need to earn in Osaka to live like in Mexico City?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Mexico City is worth about $111,953 in Osaka. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Mexico City or Osaka?
Mexico has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Mexico City
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.