Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamakura and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamakura: $1,138 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,138

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,364 in Okinawa.

Kamakura $1,138
Okinawa $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,853 in Kamakura versus $2,154 in Okinawa.

Kamakura $1,853
Okinawa $2,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Kamakura versus $2,944 in Okinawa.

Kamakura $2,568
Okinawa $2,944

Living in Kamakura costs roughly 17% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kamakura is 16% below, Okinawa is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 ¥976

$9.91 ¥1,566

-37.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,920

$39.91 ¥6,306

-21.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.03 ¥795

$7.13 ¥1,126

-29.45%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ¥388

$3.87 ¥611

-36.69%

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

$1.09 ¥172

$1.47 ¥233

-25.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.99 ¥156

-23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.51 ¥397

1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$4.34 ¥685

-26.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ¥227

$1.63 ¥257

-12.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$2.07 ¥326

-26.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 ¥562

$3.88 ¥612

-8.25%

Eggs

$1.98 ¥312

$1.78 ¥281

11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ¥1,638

$17.97 ¥2,840

-42.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 ¥981

$4.85 ¥766

28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 ¥2,283

$22.79 ¥3,601

-36.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 ¥879

$3.62 ¥571

53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$2.70 ¥427

-0.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.19 ¥345

27.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$5.16 ¥816

-20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.39 ¥377

7.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.45 ¥386

6.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.26 ¥199

-6.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.78 ¥122

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥594

$4.02 ¥635

-6.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 ¥968

$6.30 ¥995

-2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.90 ¥299

-4.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥326

$3.35 ¥530

-38.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.48 ¥233

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.83 ¥7,873

$65.9 ¥10.4K

-24.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.96 ¥625

-19.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$3.42 ¥540

-20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.07 ¥2,540

$11.40 ¥1,802

40.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.06 ¥167

3.77%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ¥3.3M

2.67%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

1.07%

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

$114 ¥18.0K

$158 ¥25.0K

-28.14%

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

$23.64 ¥3,735

$25.31 ¥3,999

-6.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 ¥4,883

$52.8 ¥8,338

-41.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ¥8,218

$71.1 ¥11.2K

-26.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 ¥2,038

$11.95 ¥1,888

7.95%

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

$585 ¥92.4K

$329 ¥52.0K

77.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ¥2.3M

$5,632 ¥889.8K

155.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.91 ¥7,884

$50.2 ¥7,928

-0.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.52 ¥5,612

$23.08 ¥3,647

53.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 ¥9,543

$80.5 ¥12.7K

-25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 ¥15.4K

$94.6 ¥14.9K

3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ¥76.4K

$403 ¥63.6K

20.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ¥48.1K

$320 ¥50.6K

-4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ¥169.8K

$841 ¥132.9K

27.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ¥120.3K

$663 ¥104.7K

14.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,688 ¥740.6K

$8,665 ¥1.4M

-45.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,728 ¥273.0K

$1,213 ¥191.7K

42.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,749 ¥276.4K

$1,809 ¥285.8K

-3.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

2.23

-9.42%

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

Last update for Kamakura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kamakura

$304 26.7%

Okinawa

$320 23.5% 5.2% $16

Groceries & Markets

Kamakura

$285 25.1%

Okinawa

$330 24.2% 15.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamakura

$168 14.8%

Okinawa

$236 17.3% 40.5% $68

Eating Out

Kamakura

$120 10.6%

Okinawa

$178 13.1% 47.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Kamakura

$110 9.6%

Okinawa

$112 8.2% 2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kamakura

$78 6.8%

Okinawa

$95 7% 22.1% $17

Getting Around

Kamakura

$73 6.4%

Okinawa

$93 6.8% 27.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $483 in Kamakura and $403 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 3% 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: $31.00 in Kamakura vs $40.00 in Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $330 per month, with Kamakura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Kamakura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,710

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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Kamakura Okinawa 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Kamakura vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Okinawa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $483 in Kamakura versus $403 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $585 in Kamakura versus $329 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Kamakura versus $1,364 in Okinawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura 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, Kamakura 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 Kamakura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.