Why it is here
Why Osaka is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Osaka City had 2,805,371 people at the 2025 census and added 52,959 since 2020, the second largest increase of any municipality in Japan. [N1]
- Osaka City counted 214,337 foreign residents at the end of December 2025, led by China (60,946) and Korea (56,539); 2,078 were from the United States. [E1]
- Osaka YMCA International School says it is the only IB continuum school in Osaka City, with more than 300 students from 40 nationalities. [Osaka S1]
- The Immigration Services Agency lists an Osaka Regional Immigration Services Bureau with a Kobe branch. [V1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
47 of 100MixedCountry figure
Price level 0.649 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Japan. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
16 of 100WeakOwn figure
Osaka: 3 comfortable months a year (April (19.9 °C, 101.9 mm), May (24.9 °C, 136.5 mm) and October (23.7 °C, 136.0 mm)); every other month has an average daily high under 18 °C or over 30 °C, or 150 mm of rain or more.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020 (monthly values), Osaka. Checked 16 October 2026.
Safety
74 of 100StrongCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 10th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
86 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 86 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
46 of 100MixedCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 24th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
81 of 100StrongCountry figure
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 4th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: a residence route for remote workers exists (the Designated Activities status for digital nomads), and fixed broadband is 38.6 per 100 people (2023), over the 30 line. The route is limited: six months, no extension, no residence card, and annual income of at least 10 million yen (about US$63,000).
Source: Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (for Digital Nomad / Spouse or child of Digital Nomad); Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Japan; Federal Reserve H.10 weekly release: foreign exchange rates, 13 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
Retirement
50 of 100MixedCountry figure
Mixed: Japan has no retirement status. The nearest route is the Designated Activities long stay for sightseeing and recreation (up to one year, no work), which asks for savings of more than 30 million yen (about US$189,000), over the US$100,000 line. It is based on savings, not a pension, and the pages name no path to permanent residence.
Source: Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (long-term stay for sightseeing, recreation and similar, and accompanying spouse) (page in Japanese); Designated activities (Long Stay for sightseeing and recreation): documents for applicants; Finding a status of residence by activity (page in Japanese); Federal Reserve H.10 weekly release: foreign exchange rates, 13 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.
Internet
87 of 100StrongCountry figure
38.63 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2023).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Japan. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
0 of 100WeakCountry figure
EF EPI 2025 score 446, below the 499 weak line.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Japan. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for United States passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Canada passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for Australia passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Japan.
Questions about Osaka.
How big is Osaka, and how many foreign residents live there?
Osaka City had 2,805,371 people at the 2025 census, up 52,959 since 2020. It counted 214,337 foreign residents at the end of December 2025, led by China (60,946) and Korea (56,539); 2,078 were from the United States. The city's table lists no separate figure for Canada, Australia or New Zealand.
What does rent cost in Osaka?
A private guide (verified 13 August 2026) gives central one-bedroom rents of ¥80,000 to ¥130,000 a month and an all-in budget of ¥200,000 to ¥300,000 for a comfortable single expat. It puts national health insurance at ¥12,000 to ¥25,000. It cites no sources; costs for couples or families are unknown here.
What is the weather like in Osaka?
Osaka's average daily highs run from 9.7 °C in January to 33.7 °C in August, and monthly rain from 47.0 to 185.1 mm (Japan Meteorological Agency, 1991-2020). April, May and October combine highs of 18 to 30 °C with under 150 mm of rain.
Where is the immigration office for Osaka?
The Immigration Services Agency lists an Osaka Regional Immigration Services Bureau with a Kobe branch, and a Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) in Tokyo. Which office handles you depends on your address and status. The guidebook says to file a moving-in notification at the municipal office within 14 days.
Are there international schools in Osaka?
Osaka YMCA International School says it is the only IB continuum school in Osaka City, with more than 300 students from 40 nationalities (the school's own claim; fees unknown here). The guidebook says foreign children can attend public elementary and junior high schools with free tuition and textbooks.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] 2025 Population Census, basic complete tabulation: outline of results, Statistics Bureau of Japan. Checked 16 October 2026. 1 October 2025: Osaka City 2,805,371 people, up 52,959 since 2020, the second largest increase of any municipality (Table I-3-3). Osaka Prefecture had 322,018 foreign nationals (Table IV-2-1). Final basic results, published 29 September 2026. Read from the PDF on 16 October 2026.
- [E1] Foreign residents of Osaka City by nationality and ward (end of December 2025), Osaka City Citizens Bureau. Checked 16 October 2026. 214,337 foreign residents in total. China 60,946, South Korea and North Korea 56,539, Vietnam 32,608, Nepal 19,345, United States 2,078. Largest wards: Ikuno 31,355, Nishinari 17,105, Naniwa 14,516, Chuo 13,699. In Japanese.
- [V1] Regional immigration services bureaus and branches (page in Japanese), Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Checked 16 October 2026. Lists the Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima, Takamatsu and Fukuoka regional bureaus, with branches including Yokohama (Tokyo bureau), Kobe (Osaka bureau) and Naha (Fukuoka bureau). Names translated here. The page footer gives the Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) in Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020 (monthly values), Osaka, Japan Meteorological Agency. Checked 16 October 2026. Average daily high 9.7 to 33.7 °C; monthly rain 47.0 to 185.1 mm; 3 comfortable months (April, May, October). Normals period 1991–2020 (30 years), read from the agency's page (in Japanese) on 16 October 2026.
- [Osaka S1] Osaka YMCA International School, Osaka YMCA International School (the school's own site). Checked 16 October 2026. Home page: founded in 2001, "the only IB continuum school in Osaka City", with more than 300 students from 40 nationalities. The school's own claim.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Japan, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 64.87 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [Japan S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Japan ranks 10th of 163 countries.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Japan: 86 out of 100 (2023).
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Japan ranks 24th of 31 countries.
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Japan ranks 4th of 31 countries.
- [K1] Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (for Digital Nomad / Spouse or child of Digital Nomad), Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Checked 16 October 2026. Remote work for a foreign employer, or services or goods sold to people abroad. Period of stay six months, no extension; a person must then wait six months to apply again; no residence card is issued. Annual income of at least 10 million yen at the time of application; private medical travel insurance with at least 10 million yen of treatment cover; no employment with a Japanese organisation. The Agency's nationality chart (PDF 001416932) lists Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Japan, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2023: 38.63 per 100 people (no 2024 figure published), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Federal Reserve H.10 weekly release: foreign exchange rates, 13 October 2026, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Checked 16 October 2026. Japan: 158.34 yen per US dollar on 9 October 2026, the latest daily rate in the release. Used to convert yen amounts: 10 million yen is about US$63,000 and 30 million yen about US$189,000.
- [R1] Status of Residence "Designated Activities" (long-term stay for sightseeing, recreation and similar, and accompanying spouse) (page in Japanese), Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Checked 16 October 2026. Describes the status for foreign nationals staying up to one year in Japan for sightseeing, recreation and similar activities, and a spouse accompanying them; applicants show current savings and six months of account history, and a private medical insurance policy covering the stay. The page does not state the savings amount; it refers to a Ministry of Justice notice that was not opened.
- [R2] Designated activities (Long Stay for sightseeing and recreation): documents for applicants, VFS Global, Singapore (private visa application centre for the Japanese embassy; one-pager updated 26 September 2025). Checked 16 October 2026. Says the applicant must be 18 or older with savings of more than 30 million yen, shown by a bankbook and six months of balances and transactions, plus private medical travel insurance for the stay. A private operator's checklist for Singapore applicants, not a government page; the amount is expected to match the Ministry of Justice notice but that was not opened.
- [R3] Finding a status of residence by activity (page in Japanese), Immigration Services Agency of Japan. Checked 16 October 2026. The Agency's list of 28 statuses of residence (professor, highly skilled professional, business manager, student, family stay, designated activities, permanent resident and others) has no status for retirees or for people living on a pension.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Japan, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 446, rank 96 of 123 countries and regions; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.