Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,179 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Fukushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,379 in Okinawa versus $1,179 in Fukushima.

Okinawa $1,379
Fukushima $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,171 in Okinawa versus $1,896 in Fukushima.

Okinawa $2,171
Fukushima $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,964 in Okinawa versus $2,613 in Fukushima.

Okinawa $2,964
Fukushima $2,613

Living in Okinawa is roughly 17% more expensive than in Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Fukushima is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,542

$5.97 ¥945

63.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,433

$29.63 ¥4,692

37.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,088

$4.37 ¥692

57.21%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥619

$2.47 ¥391

58.30%

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

$1.40 ¥222

$0.97 ¥153

44.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.67 ¥105

38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥414

$2.58 ¥409

1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥954

$3.18 ¥503

89.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.51 ¥240

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥332

$1.53 ¥243

37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥617

$4.10 ¥650

-5.12%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥282

$2.09 ¥330

-14.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,866

$10.23 ¥1,619

76.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥775

$6.50 ¥1,028

-24.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,522

$17.13 ¥2,712

29.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥600

$3.71 ¥588

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥411

$2.23 ¥353

16.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥339

$2.95 ¥467

-27.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$4.09 ¥647

26.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$2.38 ¥376

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.32 ¥210

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.83 ¥132

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥637

$3.99 ¥632

1.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,013

$6.55 ¥1,037

-2.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.15 ¥341

47.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.52 ¥241

-1.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$58.4 ¥9,248

11.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥620

$3.56 ¥564

10.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥549

$2.96 ¥469

17.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,811

$23.07 ¥3,652

-50.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.21 ¥192

-13.22%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$22.4K ¥3.5M

-4.80%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

0.37%

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

$162 ¥25.7K

$125 ¥19.7K

30.28%

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

$25.31 ¥4,008

$21.80 ¥3,452

16.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,490

$32.57 ¥5,156

64.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$51.2 ¥8,103

40.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥8,998

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,907

$11.50 ¥1,820

4.70%

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

$330 ¥52.2K

$692 ¥109.6K

-52.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥895.2K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

-69.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,716

$52.5 ¥8,310

-7.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,696

$34.18 ¥5,411

-31.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.9K

$67.4 ¥10.7K

20.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.5K

$77.2 ¥12.2K

26.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.4K

$556 ¥88.0K

-26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$334 ¥52.9K

-2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.7K

$973 ¥154.0K

-15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.6K

$808 ¥127.9K

-17.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$4,329 ¥685.4K

101.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥193.2K

$2,479 ¥392.6K

-50.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.2K

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 Fukushima: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Fukushima

$288 24.5% 12.6% $42

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Fukushima

$334 28.3% 2.3% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Fukushima

$179 15.2% 25.8% $62

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Fukushima

$116 9.9% 35.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Fukushima

$104 8.8% 8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Fukushima

$74 6.3% 22.7% $22

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Fukushima

$83 7% 10.2% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Okinawa and $556 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41 in Okinawa vs $30 in Fukushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $288 per month, with Fukushima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

282,693

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,068 in Okinawa and $1,768 in Fukushima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Okinawa versus $556 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30 versus $41 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Fukushima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.