✦ Compare
Osaka vs
Zurich
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 Zurich, CH, you'd need
$132,009 / year
Zurich, CH is 76% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Zurich, CH vs Osaka, JP)
- Housing+123%
- Food & groceries+63%
- Transport+59%
- Utilities+18%
- Healthcare+76%
- Goods & services+62%
◎ How Osaka, JP and Zurich, CH compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Osaka, JP | Zurich, CH | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 96 | 169 |
| Housing | 92 | 205 |
| Food | 98 | 160 |
| Transport | 82 | 130 |
| Utilities | 110 | 130 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 150 |
| Goods & services | 104 | 168 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $850/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $600/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,600/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $18,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,040 | $591 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $30 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $90 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 40% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 8.1% |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 15% |
| Capital gains | 20.3% | 0% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,600/mo | $6,000/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,300/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $35,951 | $114,769 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.2% | 0.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | High |
| Coworking spaces | 25 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 82 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 90 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 25 |
| Internet speed | 230 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 85 |
| Public transport | 88 | 95 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 75 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | — | $350/mo |
| Life expectancy | 84 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +6 °C | 0 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +18 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 65 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,300 mm | 1,080 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Japan vs Switzerland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
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 Zurich
The world's benchmark for expensive — but salaries are sky-high, mandatory health insurance aside, and quality of life is unmatched.
- Currency
- Swiss franc (Fr. CHF)
- Languages
- German, French, Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 18°C · 65 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- J · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Kreis 4 · Kreis 5 · Seefeld
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
Plan your move to Zurich
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 Osaka to Zurich: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Osaka to Zurich, your cost of living will be roughly 76% more expensive. Zurich’s cost-of-living index is 169 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 Zurich?
Zurich is about 76% more expensive than Osaka overall — its cost-of-living index is 169 versus 96 for Osaka.
How much do you need to earn in Zurich to live like in Osaka?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Osaka is worth about $132,009 in Zurich. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Osaka or Zurich?
Switzerland has the lower top income-tax rate — 40% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Osaka
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.