Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichihara and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 a month against $1,381 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,381 in Okinawa.

Ichihara $1,194
Okinawa $1,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Ichihara versus $2,166 in Okinawa.

Ichihara $1,963
Okinawa $2,166

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Ichihara versus $2,951 in Okinawa.

Ichihara $2,731
Okinawa $2,951

Living in Ichihara costs roughly 14% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichihara is 12% below, Okinawa is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$9.80 ¥1,549

-36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 ¥6,585

$40.42 ¥6,386

3.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$7.06 ¥1,115

-29.75%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ¥545

$4.06 ¥641

-15.02%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.42 ¥224

-26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.91 ¥143

-18.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.55 ¥402

-1.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$4.48 ¥708

-31.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.64 ¥259

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥263

$2.06 ¥326

-19.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ¥568

$3.87 ¥612

-6.98%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$1.82 ¥288

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$17.61 ¥2,783

-41.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥933

$4.78 ¥754

23.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 ¥2,298

$22.73 ¥3,591

-35.99%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥908

$3.62 ¥572

58.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ¥438

$2.67 ¥422

3.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$2.14 ¥338

31.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$5.20 ¥822

-20.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.38 ¥376

8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.25 ¥197

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.74 ¥117

6.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥612

$3.86 ¥610

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 ¥991

$6.44 ¥1,017

-2.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥271

$1.89 ¥298

-8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$3.23 ¥510

-38.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.46 ¥231

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,389

$66.7 ¥10.5K

-20.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$3.74 ¥590

-17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ¥435

$3.54 ¥560

-22.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$11.25 ¥1,777

79.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.09 ¥173

1.83%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

1.29%

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

$18.4K ¥2.9M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

22.96%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$160 ¥25.3K

-19.46%

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

$24.13 ¥3,812

$25.14 ¥3,972

-4.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ¥4,976

$53.3 ¥8,422

-40.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 ¥7,272

$72.8 ¥11.5K

-36.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.8 ¥8,809

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 ¥1,964

$12.02 ¥1,899

3.41%

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

$632 ¥99.9K

$331 ¥52.3K

90.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$5,489 ¥867.2K

168.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ¥9,981

$48.81 ¥7,712

29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 ¥5,721

$23.08 ¥3,646

56.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,726

$81.6 ¥12.9K

-24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.9K

$94.7 ¥15.0K

6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.2K

$411 ¥64.9K

14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.5K

$332 ¥52.4K

-1.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥166.7K

$819 ¥129.4K

28.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥128.8K

$660 ¥104.3K

23.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,722 ¥746.0K

$8,731 ¥1.4M

-45.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 ¥305.7K

$1,185 ¥187.2K

63.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,842 ¥291.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

2.23

18.39%

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

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichihara

$326 27.3%

Okinawa

$332 24% 1.8% $6

Groceries & Markets

Ichihara

$287 24.1%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 14.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichihara

$185 15.5%

Okinawa

$239 17.3% 29.2% $54

Eating Out

Ichihara

$132 11.1%

Okinawa

$179 13% 35.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ichihara

$118 9.9%

Okinawa

$112 8.1% 5% $5.9

Getting Around

Ichihara

$76 6.4%

Okinawa

$94 6.8% 23.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ichihara

$71 5.9%

Okinawa

$97 7% 36.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Ichihara and $411 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Ichihara vs $40.00 in Okinawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $328, with Ichihara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

Same time as Ichihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,524

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ichihara Okinawa 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ichihara
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

Ichihara vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,791 in Ichihara and $2,071 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: $470 in Ichihara versus $411 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $632 in Ichihara versus $331 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.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $1,381 in Okinawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara 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, Ichihara 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.