Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,399 in Okinawa versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Okinawa $1,399
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,189 in Okinawa versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Okinawa $2,189
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Okinawa versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Okinawa $2,979
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Okinawa costs roughly 42% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Okinawa 4% above, Barcelona 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,603

$17.98 €16.05

-43.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,295

$67.4 €60.2

-41.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,114

$13.37 €11.93

-47.34%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥675

$3.34 €2.98

27.54%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$2.95 €2.64

-50.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.90 €1.69

-47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.88 €3.46

-48.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥720

$4.57 €4.08

-0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.27 €1.13

29.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥341

$1.96 €1.75

9.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥607

$1.75 €1.56

119.43%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$4.89 €4.36

-64.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,839

$17.47 €15.59

2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥771

$9.06 €8.09

-46.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,507

$20.18 €18.01

9.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥573

$3.08 €2.75

17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥417

$2.03 €1.81

29.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$2.60 €2.32

-17.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$2.71 €2.42

91.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥381

$2.15 €1.92

12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$2.21 €1.97

16.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥208

$1.54 €1.38

-14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.93 €0.83

-20.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥631

$7.09 €6.32

-43.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,016

$7.63 €6.81

-15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.49 €1.33

25.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥505

$2.73 €2.43

16.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥233

$2.95 €2.63

-50.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$25.91 €23.13

159.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥628

$3.13 €2.80

26.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥564

$1.45 €1.29

145.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$34.17 €30.49

-66.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.79 €1.60

-39.11%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$34.7K €31.0K

-38.74%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$30.3K €27.0K

-49.15%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$181 €161

-10.37%

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

$24.91 ¥3,943

$13.56 €12.10

83.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,513

$35.12 €31.34

53.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$53.2 €47.44

34.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,689

$16.05 €14.33

242.12%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,927

$11.37 €10.14

7.04%

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

$329 ¥52.1K

$939 €838

-64.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥876.3K

$16.5K €14.7K

-66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,923

$88.2 €78.7

-43.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,685

$39.77 €35.49

-41.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$103 €92.3

-23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥15.0K

$119 €107

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$1,695 €1,513

-76.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$1,301 €1,161

-74.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.6K

$2,576 €2,299

-67.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥105.0K

$1,941 €1,732

-65.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$7,470 €6,666

15.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.8K

$5,195 €4,636

-76.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.6K

$2,299 €2,052

-19.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

3.28

-32.01%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 1% $3.4

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 296% $972

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 4.7% $11

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 49.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 42.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 20.7% $20

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 49.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Okinawa and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 24% 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: $40.00 in Okinawa vs $67.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $325, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

7 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Okinawa Barcelona 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Okinawa and Barcelona differ by about 72% in total monthly costs ($1,399 vs $2,405 including rent). Okinawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Barcelona. 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: $404 in Okinawa versus $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Okinawa versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,399 in Okinawa versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Okinawa 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, Okinawa and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.