Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,399 in Okinawa, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Okinawa $1,399

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,189 in Okinawa, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Okinawa $2,189

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,979 in Okinawa, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Okinawa $2,979

Hong Kong costs about 113% more than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hong Kong and Okinawa sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Okinawa by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$10.13 ¥1,603

-16.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$39.78 ¥6,295

58.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$7.04 ¥1,114

-11.93%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$4.26 ¥675

15.02%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$1.47 ¥233

-13.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$1.00 ¥158

6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$2.01 ¥318

282.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$4.55 ¥720

38.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.64 ¥259

74.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$2.15 ¥341

13.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$3.84 ¥607

-43.23%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$1.75 ¥277

102.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$17.94 ¥2,839

40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$4.87 ¥771

82.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$22.16 ¥3,507

-20.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$3.62 ¥573

13.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$2.63 ¥417

3.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$2.14 ¥338

114.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$5.18 ¥820

-22.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$2.41 ¥381

34.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$2.58 ¥408

26.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$1.31 ¥208

22.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.74 ¥117

133.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$3.99 ¥631

229.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$6.42 ¥1,016

158.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.87 ¥295

7.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$3.19 ¥505

-31.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$1.47 ¥233

-2.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$67.2 ¥10.6K

32.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$3.97 ¥628

-8.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$3.56 ¥564

-63.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$11.44 ¥1,810

38.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.09 ¥173

272.48%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

108.78%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

142.53%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$162 ¥25.6K

52.81%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$24.91 ¥3,943

-36.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$53.8 ¥8,513

-60.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$71.3 ¥11.3K

28.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$54.9 ¥8,689

-83.46%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$12.17 ¥1,927

14.71%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$329 ¥52.1K

251.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$5,538 ¥876.3K

301.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$50.1 ¥7,923

37.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$23.29 ¥3,685

73.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$78.8 ¥12.5K

1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$94.6 ¥15.0K

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$404 ¥63.9K

439.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$328 ¥51.9K

423.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$826 ¥130.6K

511.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$663 ¥105.0K

434.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$8,594 ¥1.4M

239.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,206 ¥190.8K

1357.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$1,849 ¥292.6K

74.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

2.23

75.34%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: 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

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 80.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 20.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 15.5% $44

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Okinawa

$111 8% 19.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 19.8% $24

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 9.7% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $404 in Okinawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 75% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $328 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

142,752

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

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 = 5.64 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Hong Kong Okinawa 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Hong Kong
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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

Hong Kong vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,399 in Okinawa – roughly 113% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,098 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong and $40.00 in Okinawa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,399 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 113%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,399 in Okinawa to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Okinawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.