✦ Compare
Osaka vs
Warsaw
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 Warsaw, PL at a glance — Warsaw, PL is 25% cheaper than Osaka, JP overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $850/mo. Top income tax: 32% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Warsaw, PL, you'd need
$56,213 / year
Warsaw, PL is 25% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Warsaw, PL vs Osaka, JP)
- Housing-22%
- Food & groceries-29%
- Transport-33%
- Utilities-9%
- Healthcare-24%
- Goods & services-29%
◎ How Osaka, JP and Warsaw, PL compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Osaka, JP | Warsaw, PL | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 96 | 72 |
| Housing | 92 | 72 |
| Food | 98 | 70 |
| Transport | 82 | 55 |
| Utilities | 110 | 100 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 104 | 74 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $850/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $600/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,600/mo | $1,700/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $4,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,040 | $1,388 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $30 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 32% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 23% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 19% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | 19% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $50,183✓ | $49,074✓ |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | $1,297/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $35,951✓ | $28,420✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2%✓ | 3.8%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 25 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 79 | 67 |
| Safety index | 82 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 72 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 80 |
| Public transport | 88 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr✓ | 78 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +19 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 90 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,300 mm | 550 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Poland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Osaka vs Warsaw — 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 Warsaw
Central Europe's fastest-rising business hub — modern, safe and affordable, with cold winters.
- Currency
- Polish złoty (zł PLN)
- Languages
- Polish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 19°C · 90 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- E · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Śródmieście · Praga · Mokotów
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
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Plan your move to Warsaw
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Osaka to Warsaw: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Osaka to Warsaw, your cost of living will be roughly 25% cheaper. Warsaw’s cost-of-living index is 72 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 Warsaw?
Warsaw is about 25% cheaper than Osaka overall — its cost-of-living index is 72 versus 96 for Osaka.
Which is more expensive, Osaka or Warsaw?
Osaka is more expensive than Warsaw. Its cost-of-living index is 96 vs 72 (US = 100) — about 33% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Osaka or Warsaw?
Rent is cheaper in Osaka — about $850/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $900 in Warsaw.
How much do you need to earn in Warsaw to live like in Osaka?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Osaka is worth about $56,213 in Warsaw. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Osaka or Warsaw?
Poland has the lower top income-tax rate — 32% 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.