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Living in Osaka

Osaka is a city in Japan. Osaka had an unemployment rate of 4.93% at the end of 2020. Osaka's population density measured 12,215.6 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Osaka?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in JapanNational rates and thresholds that apply in Osaka.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Osaka. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Osaka recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€452
Utilities, 85 m² flat€114
Fitness club€49
Transport pass€29
Internet, 60 Mbps€28
Mobile plan, 10 GB€21

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Net rent across major citiesOsaka highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Osaka highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

川崎市€15.18
Yokohama€13.60
大阪市€12.11
京都市€11.89
広島市€9.52
札幌市€8.59
Show the other 6 cities
さいたま市€11.78
千葉市€10.32
福岡市€10.23
神戸市€10.08
仙台市€10.06
名古屋市€10.01
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly49.34 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Col Groceries Index Basket Eur Month64.93 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited28.08 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly451.6 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant5.53 eur3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB21.21 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass28.5 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home114.3 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

7.7% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 214,337 people of 2,798,782 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Osaka is 4.9%. Of 2,344 cities with data, 1,088 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Japan per band1 city: 0% to under 1%10–125 cities: 1% to under 2%251–2310 cities: 2% to under 3%3102–31088 cities: 3% to under 4%10883–4688 cities: 4% to under 5%6884–5Osaka 4.9%158 cities: 5% to under 6%1585–649 cities: 6% to under 7%496–714 cities: 7% to under 8%147–84 cities: 8% to under 9%48–97 cities: 9% to under 10%79–10

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate4.93 %country median 3.7%31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)5Official

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Osaka. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Hello Work — Public employment service

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Japan service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Osaka. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

Osaka's nearest airport was ITM, 11 km away and offered 22 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count22 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights1Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km11 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports2Official
Nearest Major Airport IataITM3 Aug 2026OurAirports2Official
Public transport monthly pass28.5 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo8Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Osaka. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Japanese Language Education Program for Foreigners Living in Japan — State Language Course

Agency for Cultural Affairs

For foreigners living in Japan.

JapaneseIn Person, Online
Open official information
Open the full Japan section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Osaka.

Cities of a similar size in Japan

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Japan cities
大阪市2,752,412 residents名古屋市2,332,176 residentsYokohama3,753,315 residentsYokohama3,777,491 residents札幌市1,973,395 residentsFukuoka1,620,853 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Osaka residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport92.3%Foreign residents 7.7%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area225.3 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)4Official
Foreign-resident share7.66 %3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)7Official
Foreign residents214,337 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)7Official
Population density12,216 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)6Official
Population2,798,782 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 20263Official

Is Osaka a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 43–65%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on safety · range 50–70%
Student53%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 41–65%
Family52%strong on family, weak on safety · range 40–64%
Retirement51%strong on cost, weak on admin · range 37–65%
Foreign residents214,337 people3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)
Population2,798,782 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026
Unemployment rate4.93 %31 Dec 2020Official source · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)
City area225.3 km²3 Aug 2026Official source · 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
Fitness club membership, monthly49.34 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Independent source · Numbeo
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited28.08 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Independent source · Numbeo
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-11

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Osaka when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

What is the unemployment rate in Osaka?

The unemployment rate is 4.93 %. Source: 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表).

How many people live in Osaka?

The published population is 2,798,782 people. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Osaka?

214,337 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民).

How much is public transport in Osaka?

A monthly transport pass is 28.5 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo.

Is Osaka a good place to live?

Osaka may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Osaka, Japan: cost of living, jobs, taxes [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/osaka/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_osaka-japan-cost-of-living-jobs-taxes_359aa590886d,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Osaka, Japan: cost of living, jobs, taxes},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/osaka/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Osaka, Japan: cost of living, jobs, taxes](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/osaka/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  2. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026 Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey · e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  4. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  5. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  6. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  7. 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民) soumu.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  8. Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.