✦ Compare
Osaka vs
São Paulo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Osaka, JP vs São Paulo, BR at a glance — São Paulo, BR is 38% cheaper than Osaka, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $850/mo. Top income tax: 27.5% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in São Paulo, BR, you'd need
$46,383 / year
São Paulo, BR is 38% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (São Paulo, BR vs Osaka, JP)
- Housing-40%
- Food & groceries-44%
- Transport-39%
- Utilities-41%
- Healthcare-29%
- Goods & services-35%
◎ How Osaka, JP and São Paulo, BR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Osaka, JP | São Paulo, BR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 96 | 59 |
| Housing | 92 | 55 |
| Food | 98 | 55 |
| Transport | 82 | 50 |
| Utilities | 110 | 65 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 60 |
| Goods & services | 104 | 68 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $850/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $600/mo | $420/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,600/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $2,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,040 | $1,682 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 27.5% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 17% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 34% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $600/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $50,183✓ | — |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $280/mo |
| GDP per capita | $35,951✓ | $10,296✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2%✓ | 4.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 25 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC-3 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 79 | 54 |
| Safety index | 82 | 40 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 65 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 60 |
| Public transport | 88 | 68 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 76 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | +23 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 150 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,300 mm | 1,450 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Brazil. 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: Osaka vs São Paulo — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
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
Good to know before you move to São Paulo
Latin America's financial and cultural engine — the region's best job market, restaurants and nightlife, spread across an endless skyline. Big-city upside offset by traffic, sprawl and sharp inequality.
- Currency
- Brazilian real (R$ BRL)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC-3
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 40/100
- Climate
- ❄ 23°C · ☀ 16°C · 150 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- N/C · 127V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Vila Madalena · Pinheiros · Jardins · Itaim Bibi
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
Plan your move to São Paulo
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 Osaka to São Paulo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Osaka to São Paulo, your cost of living will be roughly 38% cheaper. São Paulo’s cost-of-living index is 59 versus 96 for Osaka (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Osaka cheaper than São Paulo?
São Paulo is about 38% cheaper than Osaka overall — its cost-of-living index is 59 versus 96 for Osaka.
Which is more expensive, Osaka or São Paulo?
Osaka is more expensive than São Paulo. Its cost-of-living index is 96 vs 59 (US = 100) — about 63% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Osaka or São Paulo?
Rent is cheaper in São Paulo — about $650/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $850 in Osaka.
How much do you need to earn in São Paulo to live like in Osaka?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Osaka is worth about $46,383 in São Paulo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Osaka or São Paulo?
Brazil has the lower top income-tax rate — 27.5% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Osaka
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.