Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kashiwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kashiwa: $1,241 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kashiwa

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

A single person spends $1,388 per month in Okinawa vs $1,241 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Okinawa $1,388
Kashiwa $1,241

A couple spends around $2,184 per month in Okinawa vs $1,861 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Okinawa $2,184
Kashiwa $1,861

A family of three spends $2,980 per month in Okinawa vs $2,481 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Okinawa $2,980
Kashiwa $2,481

Okinawa costs about 12% more than Kashiwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Okinawa sits 2% above the global median, while Kashiwa is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$6.27 ¥990

61.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,353

$25.74 ¥4,064

56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.23 ¥826

34.61%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.46 ¥547

18.79%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$0.70 ¥110

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.79 ¥125

16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.56 ¥404

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$3.11 ¥492

69.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.29 ¥203

22.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.10 ¥173

86.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$3.61 ¥570

4.16%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$1.96 ¥309

-6.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,841

$6.46 ¥1,020

178.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.05 ¥956

-20.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,545

$9.59 ¥1,515

134.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.55 ¥877

-31.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.73 ¥432

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.97 ¥469

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.24 ¥670

24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.67 ¥421

-10.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.55 ¥403

0.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$0.60 ¥95.4

113.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.66 ¥104

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.92 ¥620

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.43 ¥1,015

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.82 ¥287

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$1.86 ¥293

79.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.51 ¥238

-4.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$57.3 ¥9,051

13.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.11 ¥492

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$1.55 ¥245

128.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$20.28 ¥3,201

-44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.02 ¥161

8.82%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-2.89%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.8K ¥2.5M

-1.83%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$124 ¥19.7K

30.77%

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

$25.35 ¥4,003

$24.64 ¥3,890

2.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$32.79 ¥5,176

61.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$56.3 ¥8,890

29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,670

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$12.78 ¥2,017

-6.26%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$815 ¥128.6K

-59.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.9K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

-61.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,718

$62.0 ¥9,785

-21.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,687

$36.55 ¥5,771

-36.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$62.0 ¥9,791

30.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$101 ¥15.9K

-5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

$526 ¥83.0K

-21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$402 ¥63.5K

-17.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$1,000 ¥157.9K

-14.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$716 ¥113.0K

-5.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,322 ¥682.3K

94.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,597 ¥410.1K

-54.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.8K

$2,664 ¥420.7K

-32.53%

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 Kashiwa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Kashiwa

$402 32.4% 21.2% $70

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Kashiwa

$251 20.2% 23.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Kashiwa

$182 14.7% 24.6% $59

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Kashiwa

$132 10.7% 28% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Kashiwa

$118 9.5% 4.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Kashiwa

$82 6.6% 15.6% $15

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Kashiwa

$74 6% 19.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Okinawa versus $526 in Kashiwa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Kashiwa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Okinawa versus $26 in Kashiwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $251 – making Kashiwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

417,394

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Kashiwa 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa, $1,241 in Kashiwa – Kashiwa comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,082 per month in Okinawa and $1,862 in Kashiwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $526 in Kashiwa.

Kindergarten costs $327 per month in Okinawa and $815 in Kashiwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Okinawa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,388 in Okinawa and $1,241 in Kashiwa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,241 in Kashiwa to $1,388 in Okinawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.