Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated September 2026
| Item | Osaka | Sapporo | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ¥ 900$6.08 | ¥ 960$6.49 | Osaka −6% |
| Street food1 item | ¥ 410$2.77 | ¥ 430$2.91 | similar |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ¥ 3,000$20.3 | ¥ 3,000$20.3 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | ¥ 500$3.38 | ¥ 520$3.51 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | ¥ 550$3.72 | ¥ 550$3.72 | similar |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ¥ 1,400$9.46 | ¥ 1,400$9.46 | similar |
| Bottled water | ¥ 120$0.81 | ¥ 120$0.81 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ¥ 300$2.03 | ¥ 300$2.03 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | ¥ 2,500$16.9 | ¥ 2,100$14.2 | Sapporo −16% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ¥ 1,400$9.46 | ¥ 1,500$10.1 | Osaka −7% |
| Transitone ride | ¥ 210$1.42 | ¥ 210$1.42 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | ¥ 4,200$28.4 | ¥ 4,400$29.7 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | ¥ 12,000$81.1 | ¥ 13,000$87.8 | Osaka −8% |
| Studio rent (month) | ¥ 95,000$642 | ¥ 67,000$453 | Sapporo −29% |
| Laundry | ¥ 700$4.73 | ¥ 740$5 | Osaka −5% |
| SIM card1 week data | ¥ 2,800$18.9 | ¥ 3,000$20.3 | Osaka −7% |
| Haircutcut | ¥ 2,900$19.6 | ¥ 3,100$20.9 | Osaka −6% |
| Massage1 hour | ¥ 8,400$56.8 | ¥ 8,900$60.1 | Osaka −6% |
| Half-day tourper person | ¥ 9,800$66.2 | ¥ 10,000$67.6 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ¥ 1,700$11.5 | ¥ 1,800$12.2 | Osaka −6% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Sapporo is 8% cheaper than Osaka. Daily budget $173 vs $174; a month $2,726 vs $2,264.
With a short-term studio and living costs, Osaka is about $2,726 and Sapporo about $2,264 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.