Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Ichihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,264 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.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Ichihara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,264 in Ichihara.

Okinawa $1,388
Ichihara $1,264

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $2,001 in Ichihara.

Okinawa $2,184
Ichihara $2,001

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,738 in Ichihara.

Okinawa $2,980
Ichihara $2,738

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$6.46 ¥1,021

56.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,355

$41.72 ¥6,589

-3.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.19 ¥820

35.65%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.47 ¥548

18.44%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.06 ¥167

32.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.78 ¥124

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.50 ¥395

0.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$3.12 ¥492

68.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.43 ¥226

10.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.72 ¥272

19.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$3.56 ¥562

5.62%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.00 ¥316

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,842

$10.21 ¥1,613

76.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.17 ¥975

-22.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,546

$14.69 ¥2,320

52.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.67 ¥895

-32.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.83 ¥447

-7.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.81 ¥443

-21.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.11 ¥649

27.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.56 ¥405

-6.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.65 ¥418

-3.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.28 ¥202

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.76 ¥120

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.74 ¥591

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.26 ¥988

2.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.75 ¥277

11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.10 ¥332

59.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.24 ¥196

16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$50.1 ¥7,907

30.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.12 ¥493

22.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.63 ¥416

34.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,773

$20.56 ¥3,247

-45.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.12 ¥176

-0.89%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-2.94%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.9K ¥2.5M

-1.97%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$134 ¥21.2K

21.30%

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

$25.35 ¥4,004

$24.21 ¥3,824

4.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,382

$31.75 ¥5,015

67.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$48.44 ¥7,651

50.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,673

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,893

$12.87 ¥2,032

-6.92%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$837 ¥132.2K

-60.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥895.1K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

-62.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,720

$63.3 ¥9,989

-22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,688

$36.37 ¥5,744

-35.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$62.8 ¥9,920

29.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$102 ¥16.2K

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥65.0K

$501 ¥79.1K

-17.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$385 ¥60.8K

-13.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$878 ¥138.7K

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.1K

$806 ¥127.3K

-15.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,196 ¥662.7K

100.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,521 ¥398.1K

-52.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.64

-15.53%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ichihara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Ichihara

$385 30.4% 15.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Ichihara

$289 22.9% 12.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Ichihara

$190 15.1% 21.2% $51

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Ichihara

$135 10.7% 26.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Ichihara

$119 9.4% 6.3% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Ichihara

$74 5.9% 23.5% $23

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Ichihara

$71 5.6% 22.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $501 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $42 in Ichihara. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $289, with Ichihara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

269,524

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Ichihara 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,082 in Okinawa and $1,896 in Ichihara 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: $411 in Okinawa versus $501 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $327 in Okinawa versus $837 in Ichihara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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.