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Osaka is often dubbed Japan’s “second city” and is unlikely ever to be number one. It lacks Tokyo’s distinguished position as Japan’s capital city, and Osaka’s population of 2.7 million inhabitants poses no threat to Tokyo’s enormous population of 13.5 million people. Osaka’s image is also grittier and more chaotic than that of the systematic, refined capital. But I’ll let you in on a secret: Osaka is the best place to live in Japan and even better than Tokyo.
This fact is obvious to people who live in Osaka or the Kansai region, particularly to those who have lived in Tokyo before. Yet those who have only resided in or around Tokyo and nowhere else remain blissfully ignorant of it. But besides its residents’ opinions, there is plenty of evidence in Osaka’s favor. From its food scene to its cost of living, here’s what makes Osaka the best place to live in Japan.
Osaka City Rankings
Despite being Japan’s third-largest city behind Yokohama, Osaka is dubbed Japan’s “second city” due to its more prominent reputation on the world stage. It is a cosmopolitan and multicultural city that is outranked in economic power only by Tokyo among Japanese cities but often outranks Tokyo in other metrics, such as livability.
- In its 2024 report, the EIU Liveability Index ranked Osaka the 9th most liveable city in the world, five spots ahead of Tokyo at #14. In fact, Osaka has consistently outranked Tokyo in the EIU’s annual index every year since 2018.
- Osaka ranked 37th in the world on the Global Power City Index report.
- Osaka hosted the World Expo in 1970 and in 1990 and will host it again in 2025.
- Natives of Osaka ranked it third in a survey in which respondents indicated whether they wanted to move back to their home prefecture after living elsewhere. This is an interesting result since Osaka is more often considered a city people from other places tend to move to.
Affordable Housing
One important factor that is left out of such metrics is the cost of living, a factor in which Osaka definitely beats Tokyo. Here is the average rent for different apartment sizes in Osaka compared with Tokyo.
Cost of Living
Osaka is much cheaper than Tokyo and many other cities in Japan for food and other expenses, too. According to 2023 data from the Japanese government, food costs and overall expenses in Tokyo are the highest in Japan, whereas Osaka was ranked the 25th most expensive city for food and 16th for overall expenses. Salaries are, on average higher in Tokyo, but the cost of utilities, food and other expenses make Tokyo a more expensive place to live.
Food Scene
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19 Comments
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falseflagsteve
Yes, I love it in Osaka.
Nice 3 bedroom flat for 110000 a month, near loads of public transport. Nice and lively and more friendly than Tokyo for sure. Couldn’t ask for more really, everything very cushty.
Mr Kipling
No, cheaper does not mean better. Tokyo beats all.
JeffLee
I first landed in Osaka but moved to Tokyo not long after. I know several other foreigners who did the same, particularly those who work for multinationals. i don't know of any who went the other way, except for one couple who needed to live near the wife's ailing and elderly parents.
Tokyo's the place to be, if you ask me. Also, many of the Kansai gaijin have an insufferable big-fish-in-a-small pond syndrome.
falseflagsteve
Tokyo too square for me, too busy and food ain’t as good either, make no mistake
Speed
I've lived in both and I find Osaka people just as cold and indifferent as those in Tokyo. Tokyo's also much nicer in terms of many more and larger parks and things to do.
If you're looking for employment, Tokyo has about 10 jobs available to Osaka's one, especially for foreigners.
And sorry, I've found way more food options in Tokyo than in Osaka.
David Brent
No, that would be Fukuoka.
carpslidy
Osaka is a functional big city
It lacks charm and is probably the dirtiest of the major cities in Japan
Takoyaki etc is great but like Tokyo the food isn't as Delphos as in the countryside
Its cheaper than Tokyo but still more expensive than Fukuoka, Sapporo etc
On the plus side it's centraly located close to Kyoto, Kobe, 90 minutes from Kanazawa, Nagoya, Hiroshima
Has a number of sports teams, USJ and an international airport
Chico3
Personally, it's all a matter of perspective and depends on what really suits your tastes. Personally, I like a combination of the suburbs with a touch of country and Osaka provides that. I also love the people there, too. This is from my experiences. I've noticed that people in Osaka are busy people, but they will help you, whereas I get the feeling that people in Tokyo will help you. However, the feeling I get is that "Oh, I don't really want to help that person, but I have to, and will just do what's the basics." Again, it's just from my perspective, along with that people on the trains in the mornings in Tokyo look like they got the life sucked out of them.
Don't get me wrong. Tokyo is a great city with lots of stores, restaurants, places to visit, etc. However, at the same time, I think Tokyo is a bit more stressful and compacts.
rcch
“ Is Osaka the best place to live in Japan? “
•
No, it’s not.
—
“ But I’ll let you in on a secret: Osaka is the best place to live in Japan and even better than Tokyo. “
•
(Extremely subjective as it depends on your personal tastes, your life experiences, the type of person you are and what you are looking for in your future, but—) No, Osaka is not the best place to live in Japan and (I can’t believe I need to say this) it’s not better than Tokyo.
( I could be here listing all the reasons and describing my personal experiences to justify the obvious, but I don’t need to waste time doing that—any reasonably informed/experienced person knows why the answer is simply no… )
Moonraker
The best thing about Osaka is there are so many ways to get out of it.
kohakuebisu
Osaka's not the best if you like green spaces! Good people though, even if the change a lot of em want to see is Ishin.
I find it hard to believe anyone in Tokyo is paying 579 yen for five packs of udon. Is that when shopping with minor royalty at Kinokuniya? The main difference between Osaka and Tokyo udon will be the taste not the price. Osaka's will have a much lighter soup.
Bad Haircut
Horses for courses. I've lived in Osaka for my entire 17 years or so in Japan. It's not a beautiful city by any means but does have some nice pockets, and it's lively enough without being the human crush of Tokyo. It's also surprisingly affordable to live in for a big city and has a decent transit system. And it's close to some interesting historical places. I'm not a big fan of the climate though. Summer is insufferable and winter is dull, without the snow to make it interesting. Spring and autumn are nice but way too short.
masterblaster
Absolutely not.
i went there recently. People smoke everywhere.
4Tno
It's an extremely affordable place to live. You can even find an old 1k in some areas for as low as 20,000 yen, but it's the size of a walk-in closet. The only problem you will have is finding a good paying job.
fugusashimi
The rent is average, so Tokyo data gets a bit lopsided due to areas like Ginza, Azabujuban, Ebisu, etc.
It's all a matter of personal preference. For example, there are more non-smoking restaurant in Tokyo and smoking manners is terrible. However, I like Osaka's proximity to Kyoto, Nara, Mie, and Shikoku.
gokai_wo_maneku
I've been to Osaka many times, both for work and touring. It is a great place, but still, for me, Shinjuku, where I live in Tokyo, is way way better! Depends on what you are looking for in life I guess.
factchecker
No thank you.
kiwiboy
Kobe is, and it's only a short train ride to Osaka. Perfect!