Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,142 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Ibaraki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,379 in Okinawa versus $1,142 in Ibaraki.

Okinawa $1,379
Ibaraki $1,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,171 in Okinawa versus $1,768 in Ibaraki.

Okinawa $2,171
Ibaraki $1,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,964 in Okinawa versus $2,395 in Ibaraki.

Okinawa $2,964
Ibaraki $2,395

Living in Okinawa is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Ibaraki is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,543

$6.20 ¥983

57.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,435

$31.03 ¥4,915

30.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,088

$5.22 ¥827

31.61%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥619

$3.15 ¥499

24.13%

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

$1.40 ¥222

$1.15 ¥182

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.79 ¥125

17.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥414

$2.65 ¥419

-1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥954

$3.12 ¥494

92.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥258

$2.73 ¥432

-40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥333

$1.57 ¥248

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥617

$4.10 ¥650

-5.12%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥282

$2.03 ¥321

-12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,867

$10.34 ¥1,637

75.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥775

$6.54 ¥1,037

-25.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,523

$16.75 ¥2,652

32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥600

$3.71 ¥588

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥411

$2.28 ¥361

13.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥339

$2.95 ¥467

-27.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$4.16 ¥659

24.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$2.47 ¥392

0.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.60 ¥412

-4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.32 ¥209

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.85 ¥134

-8.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥638

$4.29 ¥680

-6.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,013

$6.57 ¥1,040

-2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.86 ¥295

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.08 ¥329

52.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.64 ¥260

-8.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$57.8 ¥9,160

12.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥620

$4.75 ¥753

-17.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥549

$2.93 ¥464

18.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,812

$25.58 ¥4,051

-55.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.09 ¥173

-3.67%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-1.91%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

-2.34%

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

$162 ¥25.7K

$138 ¥21.8K

18.05%

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

$25.31 ¥4,009

$24.35 ¥3,857

3.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,492

$31.52 ¥4,991

70.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$50.6 ¥8,017

41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥9,001

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,907

$12.49 ¥1,978

-3.60%

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

$330 ¥52.2K

$626 ¥99.2K

-47.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥895.5K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

-63.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,719

$26.34 ¥4,171

85.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,697

$31.99 ¥5,067

-27.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.9K

$67.6 ¥10.7K

20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.5K

$81.0 ¥12.8K

20.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.4K

$403 ¥63.8K

1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$264 ¥41.9K

23.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.7K

$1,028 ¥162.8K

-19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.6K

$527 ¥83.5K

26.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$4,712 ¥746.3K

84.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥193.3K

$2,384 ¥377.6K

-48.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.3K

$2,498 ¥395.6K

-27.38%

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 Ibaraki: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Ibaraki

$301 26.4% 8.8% $29

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Ibaraki

$264 23.2% 19.1% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Ibaraki

$193 17% 19.8% $48

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Ibaraki

$130 11.4% 27.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Ibaraki

$93 8.2% 17.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Ibaraki

$76 6.6% 21.2% $20

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Ibaraki

$84 7.3% 9.2% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $407 in Okinawa and $403 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41 in Okinawa vs $31 in Ibaraki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $301 per month, with Ibaraki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

287,730

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Ibaraki 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,142 in Ibaraki, so Ibaraki is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $407 in Okinawa versus $403 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibaraki – a meal for two runs $31 versus $41 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ibaraki gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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