Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morioka and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,213 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Morioka
Learn more

Morioka Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
Learn more

Okinawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Morioka vs $1,379 in Okinawa, rent included.

Morioka $1,213
Okinawa $1,379

A couple spends around $1,906 per month in Morioka vs $2,171 in Okinawa, rent included.

Morioka $1,906
Okinawa $2,171

A family of three spends $2,598 per month in Morioka vs $2,964 in Okinawa, rent included.

Morioka $2,598
Okinawa $2,964

Morioka is about 12% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Morioka sits 10% below the global median, while Okinawa is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.44 ¥1,020

$9.74 ¥1,543

-33.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 ¥5,083

$40.63 ¥6,435

-21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.05 ¥800

$6.87 ¥1,088

-26.49%

Cappuccino

$3.11 ¥493

$3.91 ¥619

-20.46%

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

$1.15 ¥183

$1.40 ¥222

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.93 ¥147

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 ¥424

$2.61 ¥414

2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 ¥514

$6.02 ¥954

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.63 ¥258

-8.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥257

$2.10 ¥333

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.26 ¥675

$3.89 ¥617

9.51%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥335

$1.78 ¥282

18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 ¥1,649

$18.10 ¥2,867

-42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,026

$4.89 ¥775

32.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 ¥2,638

$22.24 ¥3,523

-25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥588

$3.79 ¥600

-2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ¥366

$2.59 ¥411

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 ¥464

$2.14 ¥339

36.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 ¥667

$5.18 ¥820

-18.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 ¥388

$2.49 ¥394

-1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 ¥391

$2.48 ¥392

-0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥196

$1.26 ¥200

-2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$0.78 ¥123

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥607

$4.03 ¥638

-4.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.70 ¥1,061

$6.40 ¥1,013

4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.88 ¥297

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥343

$3.18 ¥503

-32.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.50 ¥237

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.6 ¥8,969

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-12.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥509

$3.92 ¥620

-18.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$3.47 ¥549

-16.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.57 ¥2,941

$11.44 ¥1,812

62.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.05 ¥166

0.95%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

2.08%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

1.36%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$162 ¥25.7K

-17.67%

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

$23.95 ¥3,793

$25.31 ¥4,009

-5.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 ¥4,936

$53.6 ¥8,492

-41.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 ¥8,294

$71.8 ¥11.4K

-27.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥9,001

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ¥2,049

$12.04 ¥1,907

7.48%

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

$685 ¥108.5K

$330 ¥52.2K

107.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$5,654 ¥895.5K

123.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.29 ¥7,806

$48.74 ¥7,719

1.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.94 ¥5,059

$23.34 ¥3,697

36.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.9 ¥9,805

$81.3 ¥12.9K

-23.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.9 ¥14.1K

$98.0 ¥15.5K

-9.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 ¥86.5K

$407 ¥64.4K

34.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥53.8K

$327 ¥51.7K

4.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 ¥163.1K

$825 ¥130.7K

24.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ¥115.9K

$667 ¥105.6K

9.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,333 ¥686.3K

$8,711 ¥1.4M

-50.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 ¥373.3K

$1,220 ¥193.3K

93.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.23

-0.90%

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

Last update for Morioka: November 3, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Morioka

$340 28%

Okinawa

$327 23.7% 3.9% $13

Groceries & Markets

Morioka

$290 23.9%

Okinawa

$330 23.9% 13.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morioka

$189 15.6%

Okinawa

$241 17.5% 27.8% $53

Eating Out

Morioka

$132 10.9%

Okinawa

$180 13.1% 36.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Morioka

$104 8.6%

Okinawa

$113 8.2% 8.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Morioka

$80 6.6%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 15.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Morioka

$78 6.5%

Okinawa

$96 7% 22.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $546 in Morioka versus $407 in Okinawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Morioka versus $41 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $330 – making Morioka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Morioka

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

Same time as Morioka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,731

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Morioka Okinawa 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Morioka
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

Morioka vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,213 in Morioka, $1,379 in Okinawa – Morioka comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,820 per month in Morioka and $2,068 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $546 in Morioka.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Okinawa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Morioka and $41 in Okinawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,213 in Morioka and $1,379 in Okinawa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,213 in Morioka to $1,379 in Okinawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.