Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,364 in Okinawa, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,277
Okinawa $1,364

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,154 in Okinawa, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,031
Okinawa $2,154

A family of three spends $2,786 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,944 in Okinawa, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,786
Okinawa $2,944

Kanazawa is about 6% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kanazawa sits 6% below the global median, while Okinawa is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,206

$9.91 ¥1,566

-22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.61 ¥4,994

$39.91 ¥6,306

-20.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ¥747

$7.13 ¥1,126

-33.66%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ¥358

$3.87 ¥611

-41.60%

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

$1.14 ¥180

$1.47 ¥233

-22.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥91.2

$0.99 ¥156

-41.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ¥320

$2.51 ¥397

-19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥368

$4.34 ¥685

-46.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.63 ¥257

-4.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥208

$2.07 ¥326

-36.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 ¥837

$3.88 ¥612

36.60%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$1.78 ¥281

16.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ¥1,978

$17.97 ¥2,840

-30.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 ¥1,487

$4.85 ¥766

94.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.96 ¥5,049

$22.79 ¥3,601

40.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$3.62 ¥571

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$2.70 ¥427

-15.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$2.19 ¥345

195.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥655

$5.16 ¥816

-19.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$2.39 ¥377

56.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 ¥540

$2.45 ¥386

39.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.26 ¥199

1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥163

$0.78 ¥122

32.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ¥561

$4.02 ¥635

-11.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ¥1,327

$6.30 ¥995

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.90 ¥299

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥239

$3.35 ¥530

-54.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.48 ¥233

0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ¥8,598

$65.9 ¥10.4K

-17.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.96 ¥625

-21.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 ¥508

$3.42 ¥540

-5.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 ¥4,140

$11.40 ¥1,802

129.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.06 ¥167

4.72%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$21.1K ¥3.3M

-3.92%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

8.58%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$158 ¥25.0K

-6.69%

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

$24.34 ¥3,845

$25.31 ¥3,999

-3.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.30 ¥6,840

$52.8 ¥8,338

-17.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.68 ¥6,743

$71.1 ¥11.2K

-39.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$11.95 ¥1,888

-4.02%

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

$320 ¥50.6K

$329 ¥52.0K

-2.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,140 ¥970.0K

$5,632 ¥889.8K

9.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.59 ¥7,834

$50.2 ¥7,928

-1.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.27 ¥3,993

$23.08 ¥3,647

9.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.94 ¥7,258

$80.5 ¥12.7K

-42.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 ¥10.3K

$94.6 ¥14.9K

-31.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$539 ¥85.1K

$403 ¥63.6K

33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.6K

$320 ¥50.6K

2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.7K

$841 ¥132.9K

30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$663 ¥104.7K

12.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,294 ¥678.4K

$8,665 ¥1.4M

-50.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,742 ¥275.3K

$1,213 ¥191.7K

43.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$1,809 ¥285.8K

2.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

2.23

2.24%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$382 29.9%

Okinawa

$330 24.2% 13.6% $52

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$327 25.6%

Okinawa

$320 23.5% 2% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$215 16.9%

Okinawa

$236 17.3% 9.8% $21

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$124 9.7%

Okinawa

$178 13.1% 43.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$84 6.5%

Okinawa

$112 8.2% 33.7% $28

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$80 6.2%

Okinawa

$93 6.8% 16.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$66 5.1%

Okinawa

$95 7% 44.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Kanazawa versus $403 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 3% higher in Kanazawa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kanazawa versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Kanazawa vs $330 in Okinawa – so Okinawa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

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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Kanazawa Okinawa 1,390 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

Kanazawa vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Kanazawa, $1,364 in Okinawa – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,916 per month in Kanazawa and $2,047 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,277 in Kanazawa and $1,364 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Okinawa at $1,364. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kanazawa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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