Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niigata and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $728 in Niigata versus $1,388 in Okinawa.

Niigata $728
Okinawa $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Niigata versus $2,184 in Okinawa.

Niigata $1,106
Okinawa $2,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,485 in Niigata versus $2,980 in Okinawa.

Niigata $1,485
Okinawa $2,980

Living in Niigata costs roughly 48% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Niigata is 47% below, Okinawa is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,013

$10.12 ¥1,594

-36.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.74 ¥2,795

$40.24 ¥6,338

-55.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥791

$7.04 ¥1,109

-28.69%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥422

$4.11 ¥647

-34.79%

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

$1.10 ¥174

$1.40 ¥221

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.92 ¥145

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ¥398

$2.51 ¥395

0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥437

$5.27 ¥830

-47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.58 ¥248

-22.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ¥152

$2.05 ¥323

-52.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$3.76 ¥592

-33.78%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥356

$1.84 ¥289

22.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥1,167

$17.99 ¥2,834

-58.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 ¥1,062

$4.79 ¥755

40.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 ¥2,595

$22.45 ¥3,537

-26.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$3.81 ¥601

-15.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥206

$2.62 ¥412

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.20 ¥346

15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥352

$5.26 ¥829

-57.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.39 ¥376

-18.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$2.56 ¥403

-24.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ¥146

$1.28 ¥201

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥94.4

$0.77 ¥122

-22.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥606

$3.90 ¥615

-1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 ¥679

$6.40 ¥1,008

-32.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥264

$1.95 ¥307

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$3.34 ¥527

-44.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.44 ¥226

-9.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ¥415

$3.82 ¥602

-31.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 ¥509

$3.54 ¥558

-8.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.80 ¥2,962

$11.23 ¥1,768

67.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.11 ¥174

-5.41%

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

$19.3K ¥3.0M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

-7.62%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$15.5K ¥2.4M

-17.34%

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

$147 ¥23.1K

$163 ¥25.6K

-9.99%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$25.35 ¥3,994

-8.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.23 ¥3,975

$53.1 ¥8,360

-52.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,094

$73.0 ¥11.5K

-29.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 ¥988

$54.9 ¥8,650

-88.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 ¥1,937

$11.98 ¥1,888

2.67%

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

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$327 ¥51.6K

-80.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$5,668 ¥892.8K

223.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.68 ¥4,991

$48.88 ¥7,700

-35.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥5,214

$23.35 ¥3,678

41.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.84 ¥6,118

$81.2 ¥12.8K

-52.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$95.7 ¥15.1K

-32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ¥55.2K

$411 ¥64.8K

-14.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥106.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥186.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,272 ¥200.4K

$1,798 ¥283.2K

-29.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.48

2.23

-33.63%

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

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Niigata

$233 32%

Okinawa

$330 23.8% 41.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niigata

$195 26.8%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 23.8% $46

Eating Out

Niigata

$124 17.1%

Okinawa

$184 13.2% 47.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Okinawa

$97 7% 27.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Okinawa

$112 8.1% 48% $36

Getting Around

Niigata

$24 * 3.3%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 284% $68

Accommodation & Living

Niigata

- * 0%

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Niigata and $411 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 41% 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: $18 in Niigata vs $40 in Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $330 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Niigata

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

Same time as Niigata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

811,639

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Niigata Okinawa 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Niigata vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $728 in Niigata and $1,388 in Okinawa, so Niigata is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Niigata. 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: $351 in Niigata versus $411 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $728 per month in Niigata versus $1,388 in Okinawa – Niigata is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,388 in Okinawa, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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, Niigata and Okinawa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Niigata wins on affordability, Okinawa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.