Which is best to live: Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto?

I'm trying to look for a place that would be good for an english-speaking (I can understand hiragana and katakana but no kanji so very limited Japanese) foreigner to live. Personally i really like Tokyo but i hear rent there is really expensive so i was wondering if this is accurate?

I also really like Osaka and Kyoto. Also since they're main cities there might be english words printed on things. Like for example i know that certain restaurants in Tokyo have english words on top of menu items and staff that can speak a little broken english. Which is good enough for me. If that doesn't work i could always try charades.

Main things i'm looking for when looking for is:
• Cost of living
• Rent - Nothing too expensive but doesn't have to be too cheap.
• Vegetarian friendly location (Vegetarian food available in nearby restaurants and convenience stores) - I'm vegetarian and i hear it's notoriously difficult to find vegetarian food in Japan since there's dashi (fish sauce) in everything. However i have also heard of a lot of vegan/ vegetarian restaurants in Tokyo for ex: T's Tantan. There are a couple of vegetarian restaurants in Osaka but not as much as Tokyo and i got no clue about Kyoto.

I was wondering maybe someone here is more informed than i am about Japan and has a clue which would be the best location based on just those three criteria (I'll worry about everything else later but those are the top 3 in my mind)? Thanks a lot in advance! ♡♡♡

Having looked at rents around the country while travelling, I would not say Tokyo is more expensive than Osaka or even some of the more remote/small places I go to. You can spend as much or as little as you want from a tiny 1R to a waterfront penthouse of more than 400sqm. Location within the city also counts. Rents could be as low as 20,000 yen per month to more than 4M yen per month. For a similar layout, central city or desirable areas an be 2-3 times more expensive for the same/similar thing.
Personally I find getting around Tokyo pretty easy, but if I was in Yokohama or Osaka I'd be using the bus system a whole heap more.
And on food - when you live here - go to a supermarket. That is the easier way to be a vegetarian.

I've never lived in Japan but I can say from personal experience visiting many times that there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka. Just spend some time on Happy Cow and you will see lots of options. Of course with your own kitchen you can do plenty of cooking as well.

I have known people who have lived in all 3 and have been happy, it partially depends on your job and what your expectations for Japan are.

• Cost of living/Rent

Where there is more population and where it is more convenient, the cost of living tend to be higher. This can be said within a same city. For example, rent near major train stations tend to be more expensive, while if you walk further from the station or travel to further/smaller stations, you can find cheaper rent for the quality. The average rent in capital Tokyo do tend to be higher than other cities, but then, wagers are relatively higher too.

• Vegetarian friendly location

I'm not actually vegetarian, but when you start living at one place (as opposed to just traveling through), you tend to learn where to buy food of your preference. At least, most locals tend to go to just one or two supermarkets near his/her home, and two or three restaurants near his/her work place. As for myself, I always knew where to go when I wanted/needed to eat vegetarian food living in Yokohama, because I had done my research. And you can easily be vegan as long as you cook your own food. Especially, Japanese soy products are abundant.

By the way, "dashi" just means "broth" including vegan broth. Fish sauce is not commonly used in Japanese cuisine, but fish broth is.