Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. The total is higher in Okinawa despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,364 in Okinawa.

Kumamoto $1,283
Okinawa $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,977 in Kumamoto versus $2,154 in Okinawa.

Kumamoto $1,977
Okinawa $2,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,670 in Kumamoto versus $2,944 in Okinawa.

Kumamoto $2,670
Okinawa $2,944

Living in Kumamoto costs roughly 6% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kumamoto is 5% below, Okinawa is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.13 ¥1,126

$9.91 ¥1,566

-28.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$39.91 ¥6,306

-20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 ¥942

$7.13 ¥1,126

-16.41%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.87 ¥611

-16.80%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$1.47 ¥233

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.99 ¥156

-29.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 ¥591

$2.51 ¥397

49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥357

$4.34 ¥685

-47.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.63 ¥257

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ¥299

$2.07 ¥326

-8.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$3.88 ¥612

71.13%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥294

$1.78 ¥281

4.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.81 ¥2,814

$17.97 ¥2,840

-0.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$4.85 ¥766

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.87 ¥2,981

$22.79 ¥3,601

-17.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 ¥587

$3.62 ¥571

2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 ¥294

$2.70 ¥427

-31.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.19 ¥345

26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥530

$5.16 ¥816

-34.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$2.39 ¥377

-9.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.45 ¥386

6.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.26 ¥199

-17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ¥143

$0.78 ¥122

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 ¥623

$4.02 ¥635

-1.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 ¥887

$6.30 ¥995

-10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥268

$1.90 ¥299

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥290

$3.35 ¥530

-45.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.48 ¥233

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,291

$65.9 ¥10.4K

-20.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ¥606

$3.96 ¥625

-3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ¥317

$3.42 ¥540

-41.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.05 ¥2,852

$11.40 ¥1,802

58.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.1K ¥3.3M

4.05%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

16.17%

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

$210 ¥33.2K

$158 ¥25.0K

32.91%

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

$24.28 ¥3,835

$25.31 ¥3,999

-4.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.30 ¥5,261

$52.8 ¥8,338

-36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,359

$71.1 ¥11.2K

-25.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 ¥1,729

$11.95 ¥1,888

-8.37%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$329 ¥52.0K

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$5,632 ¥889.8K

119.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 ¥7,672

$50.2 ¥7,928

-3.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.99 ¥4,106

$23.08 ¥3,647

12.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 ¥10.3K

$80.5 ¥12.7K

-18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.20 ¥7,457

$94.6 ¥14.9K

-50.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$403 ¥63.6K

34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$320 ¥50.6K

2.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ¥176.8K

$841 ¥132.9K

33.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.2K

$663 ¥104.7K

9.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 ¥656.8K

$8,665 ¥1.4M

-52.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 ¥274.1K

$1,213 ¥191.7K

43.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 ¥285.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.23

-11.66%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$328 25.6%

Okinawa

$320 23.5% 2.4% $8

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$312 24.3%

Okinawa

$330 24.2% 5.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$268 20.9%

Okinawa

$236 17.3% 11.8% $32

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.2%

Okinawa

$178 13.1% 23.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Okinawa

$112 8.2% 32.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$75 5.8%

Okinawa

$95 7% 27% $20

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$72 5.6%

Okinawa

$93 6.8% 28.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $541 in Kumamoto and $403 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kumamoto vs $40.00 in Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $330 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

Same time as Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kumamoto vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Okinawa differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,283 vs $1,364 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,924 in Kumamoto and $2,047 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: $541 in Kumamoto versus $403 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 26% less than in Okinawa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $329 in Okinawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,364 in Okinawa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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, Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.