Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,388 a month against $2,166 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,166

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Bilbao versus $1,388 in Okinawa.

Bilbao $2,166
Okinawa $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Bilbao versus $2,184 in Okinawa.

Bilbao $3,118
Okinawa $2,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,069 in Bilbao versus $2,980 in Okinawa.

Bilbao $4,069
Okinawa $2,980

Living in Bilbao is roughly 56% more expensive than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 59% above, Okinawa 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.64 €20.27

$10.12 ¥1,594

123.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.4

$40.24 ¥6,338

81.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 €11.17

$7.04 ¥1,109

77.13%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.39

$4.11 ¥647

-35.04%

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

$3.12 €2.79

$1.40 ¥221

122.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.92 ¥145

107.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$2.51 ¥395

31.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.96

$5.27 ¥830

-37.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 ¥248

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.05 ¥323

-19.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$3.76 ¥592

-59.04%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.97

$1.84 ¥289

79.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 €13.93

$17.99 ¥2,834

-13.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €7.14

$4.79 ¥755

66.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 €13.04

$22.45 ¥3,537

-35.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.81 ¥601

-27.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$2.62 ¥412

-20.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.20 ¥346

15.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.38

$5.26 ¥829

-49.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$2.39 ¥376

-31.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.18

$2.56 ¥403

-5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.28 ¥201

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.77 ¥122

20.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.89

$3.90 ¥615

68.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 €6.80

$6.40 ¥1,008

18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.95 ¥307

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 €2.32

$3.34 ¥527

-22.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.44 ¥226

35.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.41

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-22.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 €4.81

$3.82 ¥602

40.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.54 ¥558

-70.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.94

$11.23 ¥1,768

187.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.11 ¥174

64.86%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$20.9K ¥3.3M

59.14%

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

$32.3K €28.9K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

107.61%

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

$145 €130

$163 ¥25.6K

-10.97%

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

$19.91 €17.83

$25.35 ¥3,994

-21.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.47 €26.40

$53.1 ¥8,360

-44.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.51

$73.0 ¥11.5K

-30.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 €13.62

$54.9 ¥8,650

-72.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 €9.11

$11.98 ¥1,888

-15.03%

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

$534 €478

$327 ¥51.6K

63.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K €10.5K

$5,668 ¥892.8K

106.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.7

$48.88 ¥7,700

114.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.56 €32.74

$23.35 ¥3,678

56.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 €68.1

$81.2 ¥12.8K

-6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €128

$95.7 ¥15.1K

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 €1,224

$411 ¥64.8K

232.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 €979

$332 ¥52.3K

229.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 €1,798

$852 ¥134.3K

135.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,397

$678 ¥106.8K

129.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,880 €5,266

$8,422 ¥1.3M

-30.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,707 €3,320

$1,185 ¥186.6K

212.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 €2,101

$1,798 ¥283.2K

30.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

2.23

33.63%

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

Last update for Bilbao: October 25, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.4%

Okinawa

$332 23.9% 69.6% $761

Eating Out

Bilbao

$294 13.6%

Okinawa

$184 13.2% 37.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$283 13.1%

Okinawa

$330 23.8% 16.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$194 9%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 24.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$162 7.5%

Okinawa

$112 8.1% 30.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$71 3.3%

Okinawa

$97 7% 36.3% $26

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.2%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 33.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in Bilbao and $411 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 31% 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: $73 in Bilbao vs $40 in Okinawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $330, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

04:18 4:18 AM

8 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

142,752

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bilbao Okinawa 10,780 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
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

Bilbao vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,166 in Bilbao and $1,388 in Okinawa, so Okinawa is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Bilbao, 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: $1,366 in Bilbao versus $411 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bilbao versus $327 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

It comes down to priorities – Okinawa wins on affordability, Bilbao on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.