Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,214 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.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
Learn more

Okinawa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
Learn more

Asahikawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Asahikawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Okinawa and in Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Okinawa vs $1,214 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Okinawa $1,379
Asahikawa $1,214

A couple spends around $2,171 per month in Okinawa vs $1,896 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Okinawa $2,171
Asahikawa $1,896

A family of three spends $2,964 per month in Okinawa vs $2,578 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Okinawa $2,964
Asahikawa $2,578

Okinawa costs about 14% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,534

$6.20 ¥977

57.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,399

$31.45 ¥4,953

29.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,082

$5.10 ¥803

34.71%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥616

$3.02 ¥476

29.47%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.11 ¥174

26.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥146

$0.75 ¥118

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥411

$2.60 ¥409

0.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥949

$3.13 ¥493

92.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.47 ¥232

10.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥331

$1.62 ¥256

29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥613

$4.09 ¥644

-4.89%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$2.11 ¥332

-15.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,851

$10.25 ¥1,614

76.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥771

$6.66 ¥1,049

-26.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,503

$17.01 ¥2,679

30.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥597

$3.81 ¥600

-0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥408

$2.31 ¥364

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥337

$2.86 ¥451

-25.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥815

$4.08 ¥643

26.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$2.46 ¥388

1.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥390

$2.56 ¥404

-3.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.25 ¥197

0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.81 ¥127

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥634

$3.92 ¥618

2.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,007

$6.72 ¥1,058

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.81 ¥285

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥500

$2.15 ¥339

47.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.49 ¥235

0.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.2K

$57.8 ¥9,108

12.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥617

$3.16 ¥498

24.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥546

$2.78 ¥438

24.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$18.91 ¥2,978

-39.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.10 ¥173

-4.55%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-3.17%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

-1.67%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$134 ¥21.1K

21.21%

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

$25.31 ¥3,987

$24.50 ¥3,858

3.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,445

$30.83 ¥4,855

73.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$52.3 ¥8,231

37.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥8,951

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,897

$12.88 ¥2,029

-6.52%

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

$330 ¥51.9K

$682 ¥107.5K

-51.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥890.5K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

-54.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,676

$49.64 ¥7,818

-1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,677

$31.79 ¥5,007

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.8K

$62.8 ¥9,897

29.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.4K

$90.3 ¥14.2K

8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.1K

$559 ¥88.0K

-27.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.4K

$343 ¥54.0K

-4.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.0K

$1,033 ¥162.7K

-20.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.0K

$718 ¥113.1K

-7.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$4,308 ¥678.4K

102.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥192.2K

$2,325 ¥366.2K

-47.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥285.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.21

0.90%

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

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Asahikawa

$290 23.9% 12.2% $40

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Asahikawa

$343 28.3% 5.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Asahikawa

$189 15.6% 21.6% $52

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Asahikawa

$128 10.5% 28.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Asahikawa

$106 8.7% 6.7% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Asahikawa

$78 6.4% 18.7% $18

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Asahikawa

$81 6.7% 12.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Okinawa versus $559 in Asahikawa. 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 $41 in Okinawa versus $31 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $290 – making Asahikawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

329,306

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Okinawa Asahikawa 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Asahikawa

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

Okinawa vs Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,379 in Okinawa, $1,214 in Asahikawa – Asahikawa comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,068 per month in Okinawa and $1,822 in Asahikawa. 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 $559 in Asahikawa.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $330 per month in Okinawa and $682 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,214 in Asahikawa, 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 $1,214 in Asahikawa 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.