Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Ichikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,245 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Ichikawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,245 in Ichikawa.

Okinawa $1,388
Ichikawa $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,888 in Ichikawa.

Okinawa $2,184
Ichikawa $1,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,531 in Ichikawa.

Okinawa $2,980
Ichikawa $2,531

Living in Okinawa is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ichikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Ichikawa is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$5.21 ¥823

94.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,355

$32.08 ¥5,067

25.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$4.32 ¥682

62.96%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$2.21 ¥349

85.97%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$0.72 ¥114

94.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.39 ¥61.4

135.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.49 ¥394

0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$3.25 ¥514

62.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.39 ¥219

13.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.66 ¥262

23.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$3.68 ¥581

2.17%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$1.99 ¥314

-7.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,842

$10.53 ¥1,664

70.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.11 ¥965

-21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,546

$14.23 ¥2,247

57.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.77 ¥912

-33.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.80 ¥442

-6.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.80 ¥443

-21.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.13 ¥652

27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.58 ¥407

-7.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.59 ¥409

-1.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.26 ¥199

1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.76 ¥120

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.84 ¥607

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.29 ¥994

1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.74 ¥275

12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.12 ¥334

57.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.60 ¥252

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$63.2 ¥9,974

3.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.22 ¥508

18.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.71 ¥429

30.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,773

$20.75 ¥3,278

-45.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.12 ¥177

-0.89%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-3.82%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$16.0K ¥2.5M

-2.92%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$134 ¥21.2K

21.44%

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

$25.35 ¥4,004

$24.14 ¥3,812

5.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,382

$32.17 ¥5,081

64.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$45.56 ¥7,195

60.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,673

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,893

$12.91 ¥2,039

-7.20%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$812 ¥128.2K

-59.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥895.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-62.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,720

$61.9 ¥9,782

-21.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,688

$36.85 ¥5,819

-36.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$62.8 ¥9,910

29.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$103 ¥16.3K

-7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥65.0K

$615 ¥97.1K

-33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$385 ¥60.9K

-13.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$1,022 ¥161.5K

-16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.1K

$686 ¥108.4K

-1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,163 ¥657.4K

102.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,124 ¥335.4K

-44.21%

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 Ichikawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Ichikawa

$385 31% 16.1% $54

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Ichikawa

$288 23.1% 12.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Ichikawa

$190 15.3% 21.1% $51

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Ichikawa

$105 8.4% 43.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Ichikawa

$119 9.6% 6.3% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Ichikawa

$71 5.7% 26.4% $26

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Ichikawa

$86 6.9% 6.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $615 in Ichikawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $32 in Ichikawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $288 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

496,676

💱 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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Between locations

Okinawa Ichikawa 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Ichikawa

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 Ichikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,388 in Okinawa and $1,245 in Ichikawa, so Ichikawa is about 10% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,082 in Okinawa and $1,868 in Ichikawa 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 $615 in Ichikawa. 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 Ichikawa – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 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 Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.