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Osaka vs Seoul cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated September 2026
🇯🇵 Osaka
🇰🇷 SeoulOsaka and Seoul cost about the same
Living on $2,726 a month in Osaka feels like about $2,887 in Seoul — same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Per day
$173 vs $165
Per month
$2,726 vs $2,887
Local meal
¥ 900 vs ₩ 10,000
$6.08 vs $7.25
Taxi 5 km
¥ 2,500 vs ₩ 9,000
$16.9 vs $6.52
At a glance
FoodOsaka 13% cheaper
Cafés & drinkssimilar
TransportSeoul 34% cheaper
StayOsaka 17% cheaper
Funsimilar
- Where Seoul is clearly cheaper: Taxi (61%↓), Transit (23%↓), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (16%↓)
- Where Osaka is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (19%↓), Local meal (16%↓)
Item by item
| Item | Osaka | Seoul | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ¥ 900$6.08 | ₩ 10,000$7.25 | Osaka −16% |
| Street food1 item | ¥ 410$2.77 | ₩ 4,500$3.26 | Osaka −15% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ¥ 3,000$20.3 | ₩ 30,000$21.7 | Osaka −7% |
| Coffeeone cup | ¥ 500$3.38 | ₩ 5,000$3.62 | Osaka −7% |
| Beerone bottle | ¥ 550$3.72 | ₩ 5,000$3.62 | similar |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ¥ 1,400$9.46 | ₩ 13,000$9.42 | similar |
| Bottled water | ¥ 120$0.81 | ₩ 1,000$0.72 | Seoul −11% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ¥ 300$2.03 | ₩ 2,500$1.81 | Seoul −11% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ¥ 2,500$16.9 | ₩ 9,000$6.52 | Seoul −61% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ¥ 1,400$9.46 | ₩ 11,000$7.97 | Seoul −16% |
| Transitone ride | ¥ 210$1.42 | ₩ 1,500$1.09 | Seoul −23% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ¥ 4,200$28.4 | ₩ 36,000$26.1 | Seoul −8% |
| Hotel night3-star | ¥ 12,000$81.1 | ₩ 130,000$94.2 | Osaka −14% |
| Studio rent (month) | ¥ 95,000$642 | ₩ 1,100,000$797 | Osaka −19% |
| Laundry | ¥ 700$4.73 | ₩ 5,700$4.13 | Seoul −13% |
| SIM card1 week data | ¥ 2,800$18.9 | ₩ 22,000$15.9 | Seoul −16% |
| Haircutcut | ¥ 2,900$19.6 | ₩ 25,000$18.1 | Seoul −8% |
| Massage1 hour | ¥ 8,400$56.8 | ₩ 72,000$52.2 | Seoul −8% |
| Half-day tourper person | ¥ 9,800$66.2 | ₩ 86,000$62.3 | Seoul −6% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ¥ 1,700$11.5 | ₩ 17,000$12.3 | Osaka −7% |
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%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Osaka or Seoul?
Osaka and Seoul cost about the same. Daily budget $173 vs $165; a month $2,726 vs $2,887.
How do monthly costs compare between Osaka and Seoul?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Osaka is about $2,726 and Seoul about $2,887 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
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.