Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aomori and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Aomori: $1,219 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Aomori
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Aomori Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Aomori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,219

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aomori and in Okinawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aomori and in Okinawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,219 in Aomori versus $1,379 in Okinawa.

Aomori $1,219
Okinawa $1,379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,911 in Aomori versus $2,171 in Okinawa.

Aomori $1,911
Okinawa $2,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Aomori versus $2,964 in Okinawa.

Aomori $2,602
Okinawa $2,964

Living in Aomori costs roughly 12% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aomori is 10% below, Okinawa is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥982

$9.74 ¥1,544

-36.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.12 ¥5,090

$40.63 ¥6,439

-20.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥782

$6.87 ¥1,089

-28.24%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥493

$3.91 ¥620

-20.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 ¥184

$1.40 ¥222

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥126

$0.93 ¥147

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 ¥418

$2.61 ¥414

1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥498

$6.02 ¥955

-47.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥235

$1.63 ¥258

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥256

$2.10 ¥333

-22.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 ¥668

$3.89 ¥617

8.48%

Eggs

$2.10 ¥333

$1.78 ¥283

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ¥1,654

$18.10 ¥2,868

-42.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.57 ¥1,042

$4.89 ¥776

34.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.53 ¥2,620

$22.24 ¥3,525

-25.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 ¥577

$3.79 ¥600

-3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥362

$2.59 ¥411

-11.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 ¥472

$2.14 ¥339

39.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 ¥670

$5.18 ¥820

-18.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥391

$2.49 ¥394

-0.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥414

$2.48 ¥393

5.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥195

$1.26 ¥200

-2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.78 ¥123

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 ¥622

$4.03 ¥638

-2.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 ¥1,076

$6.40 ¥1,014

6.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥299

$1.88 ¥297

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥333

$3.18 ¥503

-33.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.50 ¥237

-4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 ¥9,193

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ¥498

$3.92 ¥620

-19.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.92 ¥462

$3.47 ¥550

-15.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.36 ¥2,910

$11.44 ¥1,813

60.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥162

$1.05 ¥166

-2.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

2.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

2.87%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$137 ¥21.7K

$162 ¥25.7K

-15.56%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.50 ¥3,883

$25.31 ¥4,012

-3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.77 ¥5,034

$53.6 ¥8,497

-40.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 ¥8,036

$71.8 ¥11.4K

-29.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥9,006

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,038

$12.04 ¥1,908

6.81%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$705 ¥111.7K

$330 ¥52.2K

113.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$5,654 ¥896.0K

123.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.60 ¥7,859

$48.74 ¥7,723

1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.35 ¥4,968

$23.34 ¥3,699

34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 ¥9,902

$81.3 ¥12.9K

-23.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 ¥14.2K

$98.0 ¥15.5K

-8.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥86.6K

$407 ¥64.5K

34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ¥54.4K

$327 ¥51.7K

5.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 ¥158.2K

$825 ¥130.8K

20.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.8K

$667 ¥105.7K

10.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,272 ¥677.0K

$8,711 ¥1.4M

-50.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,317 ¥367.2K

$1,220 ¥193.4K

89.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.23

-0.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aomori: November 1, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aomori

$344 28.2%

Okinawa

$327 23.7% 4.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Aomori

$290 23.8%

Okinawa

$330 23.9% 13.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aomori

$193 15.9%

Okinawa

$241 17.5% 24.8% $48

Eating Out

Aomori

$129 10.6%

Okinawa

$180 13.1% 39.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Aomori

$105 8.6%

Okinawa

$113 8.2% 8% $8.3

Getting Around

Aomori

$81 6.7%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 13.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Aomori

$76 6.3%

Okinawa

$96 7% 25.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $547 in Aomori and $407 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Aomori vs $41 in Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $330 per month, with Aomori cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Aomori

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

Same time as Aomori

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

275,192

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Aomori Okinawa 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aomori vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,219 in Aomori and $1,379 in Okinawa, so Aomori is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,828 in Aomori and $2,068 in Okinawa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $547 in Aomori versus $407 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $705 in Aomori versus $330 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Aomori gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aomori and Okinawa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.