Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and Okinawa

For one person, living costs are similar in Kobe and in Okinawa: $1,392 and $1,388 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $1,388 in Okinawa.

Kobe $1,392
Okinawa $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $2,184 in Okinawa.

Kobe $2,067
Okinawa $2,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $2,980 in Okinawa.

Kobe $2,742
Okinawa $2,980

Monthly costs are close between Kobe and Okinawa; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,216

$10.12 ¥1,598

-23.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,031

$40.24 ¥6,353

-20.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥776

$7.04 ¥1,112

-30.26%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥375

$4.11 ¥649

-42.34%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.40 ¥221

-15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥90.0

$0.92 ¥145

-38.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$2.51 ¥396

-15.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$5.27 ¥832

-56.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.58 ¥249

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$2.05 ¥324

-34.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥658

$3.76 ¥594

10.90%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥322

$1.84 ¥290

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,990

$17.99 ¥2,841

-29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,070

$4.79 ¥757

41.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,694

$22.45 ¥3,545

-24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,216

$3.81 ¥602

102.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥484

$2.62 ¥413

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥784

$2.20 ¥347

125.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,217

$5.26 ¥831

46.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$2.39 ¥377

60.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$2.56 ¥404

34.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.28 ¥201

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.77 ¥122

22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥549

$3.90 ¥617

-10.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,271

$6.40 ¥1,011

25.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$1.95 ¥308

0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥229

$3.34 ¥528

-56.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.44 ¥227

0.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,856

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-4.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$3.82 ¥603

-18.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥511

$3.54 ¥559

-8.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,218

$11.23 ¥1,772

137.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.11 ¥175

-4.50%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

-4.87%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.5K ¥2.5M

-0.65%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$163 ¥25.7K

-9.20%

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

$23.26 ¥3,672

$25.35 ¥4,003

-8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,933

$53.1 ¥8,379

-41.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,405

$73.0 ¥11.5K

-35.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,868

$54.9 ¥8,670

-78.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,031

$11.98 ¥1,892

7.35%

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

$321 ¥50.6K

$327 ¥51.7K

-2.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥969.5K

$5,668 ¥894.9K

8.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,990

$48.88 ¥7,718

3.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,949

$23.35 ¥3,687

7.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,260

$81.2 ¥12.8K

-43.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.4K

$95.7 ¥15.1K

-31.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥109.0K

$411 ¥64.9K

67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.1K

$332 ¥52.4K

39.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.7K

$852 ¥134.6K

29.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.4K

$678 ¥107.0K

8.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥682.9K

$8,422 ¥1.3M

-48.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥456.9K

$1,185 ¥187.1K

144.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥311.8K

$1,798 ¥283.8K

9.88%

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 Kobe: 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

Kobe

$463 33.3%

Okinawa

$332 23.9% 28.3% $131

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

Okinawa

$330 23.8% 7.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 19.2% $39

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

Okinawa

$184 13.2% 44.6% $57

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 5.5% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

Okinawa

$112 8.1% 33.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

Okinawa

$97 7% 33.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $411 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $40 in Okinawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $330, with Okinawa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

Same time as Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Kobe Okinawa 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Kobe
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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

Kobe vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 10% higher in Kobe, 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: $691 in Kobe versus $411 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Kobe versus $327 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kobe – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Kobe 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, Kobe on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.