Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $979 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Okayama versus $1,388 in Okinawa.

Okayama $979
Okinawa $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Okayama versus $2,184 in Okinawa.

Okayama $1,575
Okinawa $2,184

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,171 in Okayama versus $2,980 in Okinawa.

Okayama $2,171
Okinawa $2,980

Living in Okayama costs roughly 29% less than in Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okayama is 28% below, Okinawa is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 ¥942

$10.12 ¥1,596

-41.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.17 ¥3,969

$40.24 ¥6,345

-37.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥795

$7.04 ¥1,110

-28.41%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ¥274

$4.11 ¥648

-57.66%

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

$0.69 ¥109

$1.40 ¥221

-50.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$0.92 ¥145

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ¥305

$2.51 ¥396

-22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

$5.27 ¥831

-63.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥215

$1.58 ¥248

-13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ¥97.5

$2.05 ¥324

-69.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 ¥645

$3.76 ¥593

8.78%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥244

$1.84 ¥289

-15.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 ¥2,390

$17.99 ¥2,837

-15.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,013

$4.79 ¥756

34.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 ¥2,686

$22.45 ¥3,541

-24.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ¥796

$3.81 ¥601

32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$2.62 ¥412

18.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 ¥791

$2.20 ¥347

128.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 ¥690

$5.26 ¥830

-16.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 ¥342

$2.39 ¥376

-9.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$2.56 ¥404

-24.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.28 ¥201

-7.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥105

$0.77 ¥122

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥595

$3.90 ¥616

-3.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,465

$6.40 ¥1,009

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥297

$1.95 ¥308

-3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$3.34 ¥527

-44.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥224

$1.44 ¥227

-1.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 ¥9,036

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-11.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥504

$3.82 ¥602

-16.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 ¥409

$3.54 ¥558

-26.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.53 ¥3,394

$11.23 ¥1,770

91.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.11 ¥174

-9.91%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$20.9K ¥3.3M

4.77%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$15.5K ¥2.5M

-0.95%

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

$71.5 ¥11.3K

$163 ¥25.7K

-56.05%

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

$13.73 ¥2,165

$25.35 ¥3,998

-45.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.75 ¥4,060

$53.1 ¥8,369

-51.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,234

$73.0 ¥11.5K

-28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,659

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,781

$11.98 ¥1,890

-5.76%

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

$708 ¥111.6K

$327 ¥51.6K

116.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$5,668 ¥893.7K

155.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,918

$48.88 ¥7,708

2.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.57 ¥5,609

$23.35 ¥3,682

52.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,620

$81.2 ¥12.8K

-24.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 ¥15.3K

$95.7 ¥15.1K

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.3K

$411 ¥64.8K

-19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥29.9K

$332 ¥52.3K

-42.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥101.0K

$852 ¥134.4K

-24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 ¥67.8K

$678 ¥106.9K

-36.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,651 ¥575.7K

$8,422 ¥1.3M

-56.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,539 ¥400.3K

$1,185 ¥186.8K

114.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,366 ¥215.4K

$1,798 ¥283.4K

-24.01%

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 Okayama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okayama

$312 31.8%

Okinawa

$330 23.8% 5.8% $18

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$190 19.4%

Okinawa

$332 23.9% 74.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$111 11.3%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 117% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$110 11.2%

Okinawa

$112 8.1% 2.2% $2.4

Eating Out

Okayama

$103 10.5%

Okinawa

$184 13.2% 78.7% $81

Getting Around

Okayama

$79 8.1%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 16.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.6%

Okinawa

$97 7% 29.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $332 in Okayama and $411 in Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 32% 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: $25 in Okayama vs $40 in Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $330 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okayama Okinawa 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Okayama vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $979 in Okayama and $1,388 in Okinawa, so Okayama is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Okayama. 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: $332 in Okayama versus $411 in Okinawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $979 per month in Okayama versus $1,388 in Okinawa – Okayama is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Okayama runs roughly 12% less than in Okinawa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $979 in Okayama versus $1,388 in Okinawa, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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, Okayama and Okinawa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Okayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.