Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona 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 Barcelona and in Okinawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,399 in Okinawa.

Barcelona $2,405
Okinawa $1,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,189 in Okinawa.

Barcelona $3,477
Okinawa $2,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $2,979 in Okinawa.

Barcelona $4,550
Okinawa $2,979

Living in Barcelona is roughly 72% more expensive than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Okinawa 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$10.13 ¥1,603

77.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$39.78 ¥6,295

69.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$7.04 ¥1,114

89.91%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$4.26 ¥675

-21.60%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.47 ¥233

100.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.00 ¥158

90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.01 ¥318

93.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$4.55 ¥720

0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.64 ¥259

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.15 ¥341

-8.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.84 ¥607

-54.43%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$1.75 ¥277

179.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$17.94 ¥2,839

-2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$4.87 ¥771

86.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$22.16 ¥3,507

-8.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$3.62 ¥573

-14.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.63 ¥417

-22.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.14 ¥338

21.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$5.18 ¥820

-47.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.41 ¥381

-10.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.58 ¥408

-14.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.31 ¥208

17.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.74 ¥117

25.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.99 ¥631

77.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$6.42 ¥1,016

18.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.87 ¥295

-20.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.19 ¥505

-14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.47 ¥233

100.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$67.2 ¥10.6K

-61.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$3.97 ¥628

-21.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$3.56 ¥564

-59.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$11.44 ¥1,810

198.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.09 ¥173

64.22%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

63.23%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

96.64%

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

$181 €161

$162 ¥25.6K

11.57%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$24.91 ¥3,943

-45.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$53.8 ¥8,513

-34.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$71.3 ¥11.3K

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$54.9 ¥8,689

-70.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$12.17 ¥1,927

-6.57%

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

$939 €838

$329 ¥52.1K

185.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$5,538 ¥876.3K

198.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$50.1 ¥7,923

76.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$23.29 ¥3,685

70.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$78.8 ¥12.5K

31.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$94.6 ¥15.0K

26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$404 ¥63.9K

319.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$328 ¥51.9K

296.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$826 ¥130.6K

212.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$663 ¥105.0K

192.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$8,594 ¥1.4M

-13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$1,206 ¥190.8K

330.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$1,849 ¥292.6K

24.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.23

47.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 74.8% $972

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 1% $3.4

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 32.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 4.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Okinawa

$111 8% 29.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 26.1% $20

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 97.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $404 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $40.00 in Okinawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $328, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

16:21 4:21 PM

7 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

142,752

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Okinawa 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Okinawa

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

Barcelona vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Okinawa differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,399 including rent). Okinawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $404 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $329 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,399 in Okinawa versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Okinawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Barcelona and Okinawa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.