Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kamiyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamiyama: $1,235 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kamiyama
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Kamiyama Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Kamiyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kamiyama

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Okinawa vs $1,235 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Okinawa $1,364
Kamiyama $1,235

A couple spends around $2,154 per month in Okinawa vs $1,928 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Okinawa $2,154
Kamiyama $1,928

A family of three spends $2,944 per month in Okinawa vs $2,621 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Okinawa $2,944
Kamiyama $2,621

Okinawa costs about 10% more than Kamiyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 1% above the global median, while Kamiyama is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 ¥1,566

$6.73 ¥1,063

47.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.91 ¥6,306

$34.01 ¥5,372

17.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 ¥1,126

$5.49 ¥868

29.87%

Cappuccino

$3.87 ¥611

$3.09 ¥487

25.24%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$1.14 ¥180

28.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.76 ¥120

30.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥397

$2.13 ¥336

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ¥685

$3.21 ¥507

35.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.52 ¥241

7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥326

$1.58 ¥250

31.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 ¥612

$4.89 ¥772

-20.65%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$2.29 ¥362

-22.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.97 ¥2,840

$10.03 ¥1,584

79.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ¥766

$6.43 ¥1,016

-24.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 ¥3,601

$15.27 ¥2,412

49.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥571

$5.46 ¥863

-33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$2.65 ¥419

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ¥345

$3.95 ¥624

-44.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 ¥816

$4.61 ¥728

11.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$3.21 ¥507

-25.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$2.56 ¥404

-4.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.33 ¥210

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.83 ¥132

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$4.27 ¥674

-5.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$6.40 ¥1,011

-1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.90 ¥300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ¥530

$2.39 ¥377

40.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.59 ¥252

-6.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ¥10.4K

$56.1 ¥8,865

17.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$3.45 ¥545

14.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 ¥540

$3.01 ¥475

13.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 ¥1,802

$20.71 ¥3,271

-44.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.19 ¥189

-10.92%

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

$21.1K ¥3.3M

$23.1K ¥3.6M

-8.47%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.0K ¥2.7M

-10.97%

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

$158 ¥25.0K

$139 ¥21.9K

14.30%

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

$25.31 ¥3,999

$27.16 ¥4,291

-6.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$33.67 ¥5,319

56.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ¥11.2K

$57.2 ¥9,033

24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

$14.14 ¥2,234

290.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 ¥1,888

$13.05 ¥2,061

-8.43%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$282 ¥44.6K

16.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,632 ¥889.8K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

-57.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,928

$43.36 ¥6,850

15.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.08 ¥3,647

$29.72 ¥4,695

-22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 ¥12.7K

$60.5 ¥9,557

33.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$90.7 ¥14.3K

4.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.6K

$463 ¥73.2K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ¥50.6K

$332 ¥52.4K

-3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥132.9K

$879 ¥138.8K

-4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.7K

$670 ¥105.9K

-1.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,665 ¥1.4M

$2,777 ¥438.8K

211.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 ¥191.7K

$1,786 ¥282.2K

-32.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 ¥285.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.81

23.20%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kamiyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 24.2%

Kamiyama

$307 24.9% 7% $23

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$320 23.5%

Kamiyama

$332 26.8% 3.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$236 17.3%

Kamiyama

$199 16.1% 15.7% $37

Eating Out

Okinawa

$178 13.1%

Kamiyama

$132 10.7% 25.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.2%

Kamiyama

$101 8.2% 9.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$95 7%

Kamiyama

$83 6.7% 12.4% $12

Getting Around

Okinawa

$93 6.8%

Kamiyama

$81 6.6% 12.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Okinawa versus $463 in Kamiyama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Okinawa versus $34.00 in Kamiyama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $307 – making Kamiyama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kamiyama

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

5,300

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Kamiyama 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min 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 Kamiyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,047 per month in Okinawa and $1,853 in Kamiyama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kamiyama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Okinawa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Okinawa and $34.00 in Kamiyama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kamiyama, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Okinawa at $1,364. In Kamiyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kamiyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kamiyama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.