Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Atsugi

For one person, living is cheaper in Atsugi: $1,265 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Okinawa despite lower rent and utilities.

Okinawa, Japan
Atsugi, Japan
Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,388
/mo nomad
Atsugi
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,265
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Atsugi

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 Atsugi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,265 in Atsugi.

  • Okinawa $1,388
  • Atsugi $1,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $2,187 in Atsugi.

  • Okinawa $2,184
  • Atsugi $2,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $3,108 in Atsugi.

  • Okinawa $2,980
  • Atsugi $3,108

Living in Okinawa is roughly 10% more expensive than in Atsugi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Atsugi is 7% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.12 ¥1,596
$7.85 ¥1,239
28.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.24 ¥6,345
$25.21 ¥3,975
59.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 ¥1,110
$5.11 ¥805
37.77%
Cappuccino
$4.11 ¥648
$1.92 ¥303
114.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 ¥221
$0.98 ¥155
42.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 ¥145
$0.71 ¥113
29.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ¥396
$2.64 ¥416
-4.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 ¥831
$3.14 ¥495
67.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ¥248
$1.58 ¥250
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 ¥324
$1.55 ¥245
32.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.76 ¥593
$4.06 ¥640
-7.39%
Eggs
$1.84 ¥289
$2.05 ¥324
-10.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.99 ¥2,837
$16.16 ¥2,548
11.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.79 ¥756
$4.53 ¥715
5.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.45 ¥3,541
$12.36 ¥1,950
81.63%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 ¥601
$5.51 ¥868
-30.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.62 ¥412
$2.01 ¥316
30.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.20 ¥347
$3.84 ¥605
-42.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.26 ¥830
$2.80 ¥442
87.86%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 ¥376
$2.69 ¥424
-11.15%
Onion (1kg)
$2.56 ¥404
$1.97 ¥310
29.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ¥201
$1.14 ¥180
12.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥122
$0.90 ¥142
-14.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.90 ¥616
$3.47 ¥548
12.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.40 ¥1,009
$9.73 ¥1,534
-34.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 ¥308
$1.62 ¥256
20.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 ¥527
$2.12 ¥334
57.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.44 ¥227
$2.60 ¥410
-44.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 ¥10.3K
$56.8 ¥8,962
14.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.82 ¥602
$3.11 ¥490
22.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.54 ¥558
$2.82 ¥444
25.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.23 ¥1,770
$9.34 ¥1,473
20.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥174
$1.07 ¥169
3.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ¥3.3M
$12.9K ¥2.0M
61.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.5K ¥2.5M
$15.3K ¥2.4M
1.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ¥25.7K
$236 ¥37.2K
-30.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.35 ¥3,998
$14.20 ¥2,240
78.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 ¥8,369
$31.14 ¥4,911
70.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.0 ¥11.5K
$52.3 ¥8,246
39.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$54.9 ¥8,659
$7.77 ¥1,224
606.82%
Cinema Ticket
$11.98 ¥1,890
$12.66 ¥1,997
-5.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$327 ¥51.6K
$314 ¥49.5K
4.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,668 ¥893.7K
$6,091 ¥960.5K
-6.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.88 ¥7,708
$41.57 ¥6,554
17.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.35 ¥3,682
$24.45 ¥3,856
-4.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.2 ¥12.8K
$54.5 ¥8,600
48.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.7 ¥15.1K
$31.86 ¥5,023
200.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$411 ¥64.8K
$554 ¥87.4K
-25.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥52.3K
$333 ¥52.6K
-0.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$852 ¥134.4K
$1,036 ¥163.3K
-17.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$678 ¥106.9K
$1,264 ¥199.3K
-46.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,422 ¥1.3M
$4,039 ¥636.9K
108.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,185 ¥186.8K
$2,650 ¥417.8K
-55.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Okinawa
Atsugi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,798 ¥283.4K
$3,703 ¥583.9K
-51.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
2.02
10.40%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
$332
Atsugi
$333 0.5% $1.5
Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
$330
Atsugi
$292 11.4% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
$241
Atsugi
$281 16.5% $40
Eating Out
Okinawa
$184
Atsugi
$127 30.6% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
$112
Atsugi
$69 38.8% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
$97
Atsugi
$78 20% $19
Getting Around
Okinawa
$92
Atsugi
$84 8.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $554 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $25 in Atsugi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $292 per month, with Atsugi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🇯🇵 Atsugi
🕒 Local time
22:44 10:44 PM
22:44 10:44 PM
Same time as Okinawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
142,752
223,705
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Okinawa Atsugi 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Okinawa
  • Atsugi

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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Okinawa and in Atsugi?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,388 in Okinawa and $1,265 in Atsugi, so Atsugi is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Okinawa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Okinawa and in Atsugi?
Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $554 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Atsugi – a meal for two runs $25 versus $40 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Okinawa or Atsugi?
All in, you’ll spend $1,388 per month in Okinawa versus $1,265 in Atsugi – Atsugi is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $2,000 go in Okinawa compared to Atsugi?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Atsugi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Okinawa and Atsugi?
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.
Is Okinawa or Atsugi safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Okinawa and Atsugi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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