Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,399 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,399
/mo nomad
Dhaka
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$426
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Dhaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,399 in Okinawa versus $426 in Dhaka.

  • Okinawa $1,399
  • Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,189 in Okinawa versus $735 in Dhaka.

  • Okinawa $2,189
  • Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Okinawa versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

  • Okinawa $2,979
  • Dhaka $1,043

Living in Okinawa is roughly 228% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 4% above, Dhaka is 68% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.13 ¥1,602
$2.49 ৳306
306.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.78 ¥6,288
$13.06 ৳1,605
204.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 ¥1,112
$4.83 ৳594
45.76%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$4.93 ৳606
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.10 ৳504
-
Cappuccino
$4.26 ¥674
$2.34 ৳287
82.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 ¥233
$0.30 ৳37.39
390.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥158
$0.16 ৳19.96
525.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 ¥318
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ¥719
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ¥258
$0.80 ৳98.1
105.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.15 ¥340
$0.65 ৳79.3
230.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.84 ¥606
$0.71 ৳87.3
440.85%
Eggs
$1.75 ¥277
$1.21 ৳149
44.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.94 ¥2,835
$8.67 ৳1,065
106.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.87 ¥770
$3.21 ৳395
51.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.16 ¥3,503
$6.70 ৳823
230.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 ¥572
$2.73 ৳335
32.60%
Banana (1kg)
$2.63 ¥416
$0.88 ৳109
198.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 ¥338
$2.37 ৳291
-9.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.18 ¥819
$0.65 ৳79.6
696.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.41 ¥380
$0.24 ৳29.20
904.17%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 ¥407
$0.49 ৳60.7
426.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 ¥207
$0.32 ৳38.88
309.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$0.30 ৳37.31
146.67%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$12.07 ৳1,483
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.51 ৳677
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$6.66 ৳819
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 ¥630
$3.23 ৳396
23.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.42 ¥1,015
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.87 ¥295
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 ¥504
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.47 ¥232
$0.42 ৳52.1
250.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.2 ¥10.6K
$22.54 ৳2,770
198.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 ¥627
$1.19 ৳147
233.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.56 ¥563
$0.40 ৳48.60
790.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.44 ¥1,808
$3.35 ৳411
241.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥173
$1.15 ৳141
-5.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K ¥3.4M
$30.3K ৳3.7M
-29.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.4K ¥2.4M
$33.0K ৳4.1M
-53.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$162 ¥25.6K
$46.32 ৳5,692
249.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.91 ¥3,938
$4.33 ৳532
475.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.8 ¥8,503
$10.63 ৳1,306
406.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.3 ¥11.3K
$16.37 ৳2,012
335.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$54.9 ¥8,679
$16.14 ৳1,983
240.21%
Cinema Ticket
$12.17 ¥1,924
$4.13 ৳508
194.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$329 ¥52.0K
$90.7 ৳11.1K
262.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,538 ¥875.3K
$2,649 ৳325.5K
109.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.1 ¥7,913
$16.48 ৳2,025
203.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.29 ¥3,681
$21.00 ৳2,580
10.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.8 ¥12.5K
$50.3 ৳6,175
56.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.6 ¥14.9K
$36.46 ৳4,480
159.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$404 ¥63.9K
$152 ৳18.6K
166.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$328 ¥51.9K
$73.6 ৳9,044
345.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$826 ¥130.5K
$436 ৳53.6K
89.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$663 ¥104.8K
$214 ৳26.3K
210.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,594 ¥1.4M
$1,622 ৳199.3K
430.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,206 ¥190.6K
$761 ৳93.5K
58.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Okinawa
Dhaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,849 ¥292.3K
$249 ৳30.6K
642.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
10.48
-78.72%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
$328
Dhaka
$123 62.7% $206
Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
$328
Dhaka
$74 77.6% $255
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
$241
Dhaka
$61 74.5% $179
Eating Out
Okinawa
$182
Dhaka
$64 64.8% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
$111
Dhaka
$56 49.7% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
$96
Dhaka
$25 74.2% $71
Getting Around
Okinawa
$95
Dhaka
$27 71.1% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Okinawa and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 643% 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 $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🇧🇩 Dhaka
🕒 Local time
11:50 11:50 AM
08:50 8:50 AM
3 h behind Okinawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
142,752
21,741,000 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Okinawa Dhaka 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Okinawa
  • Dhaka

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 Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhaka cheaper than Okinawa?
Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 228% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Okinawa or Dhaka?
Average pay runs 643% higher in Okinawa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Okinawa and Dhaka?
Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Okinawa versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Okinawa and in Dhaka?
All in, you'll spend $1,399 per month in Okinawa versus $426 in Dhaka – a 228% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 198% less than in Okinawa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Okinawa or in Dhaka?
At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,399 in Okinawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Okinawa or in Dhaka?
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.
Which city is safer, Okinawa or Dhaka?
Safety-wise, Okinawa and Dhaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 228% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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