Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kawagoe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Okinawa $1,388
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Okinawa $2,184
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Okinawa $2,980
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Okinawa is roughly 29% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$6.33 ¥1,000

59.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,355

$41.23 ¥6,511

-2.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$4.95 ¥782

42.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.50 ¥552

17.43%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$0.92 ¥145

52.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.52 ¥82.7

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.91 ¥301

31.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$2.74 ¥432

92.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.15 ¥182

37.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.28 ¥203

60.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$3.67 ¥579

2.45%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.08 ¥328

-11.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,842

$6.34 ¥1,002

183.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$5.90 ¥932

-18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,546

$14.16 ¥2,237

58.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.82 ¥919

-34.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.34 ¥369

11.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.88 ¥455

-23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$3.12 ¥492

68.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.54 ¥401

-5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.85 ¥292

38.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.27 ¥201

0.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.76 ¥120

1.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.83 ¥605

1.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$4.65 ¥734

37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.81 ¥286

7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.03 ¥321

64.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.97 ¥469

-51.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$52.8 ¥8,343

23.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.11 ¥491

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.63 ¥415

34.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,773

$20.31 ¥3,207

-44.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.06 ¥168

4.72%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$15.6K ¥2.5M

33.94%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$12.8K ¥2.0M

21.06%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$133 ¥21.0K

22.43%

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

$25.35 ¥4,004

$22.18 ¥3,502

14.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,382

$31.10 ¥4,912

70.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$43.19 ¥6,821

69.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,673

$30.97 ¥4,891

77.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,893

$10.95 ¥1,730

9.41%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$320 ¥50.6K

2.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥895.1K

$6,292 ¥993.6K

-9.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,720

$31.66 ¥5,000

54.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,688

$33.72 ¥5,326

-30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$43.55 ¥6,879

86.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$93.2 ¥14.7K

2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥65.0K

$407 ¥64.3K

1.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$267 ¥42.1K

24.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$862 ¥136.2K

-1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.1K

$605 ¥95.5K

12.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$2,474 ¥390.7K

240.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$1,772 ¥279.8K

-33.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.9K

$1,597 ¥252.2K

12.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.6

39.37%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 19.6% $65

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 22.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 22.8% $55

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 30.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 18.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 32.9% $32

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 12.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 13% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $41 in Kawagoe. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $257, with Kawagoe cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

350,745

💱 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 Kawagoe 1,520 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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,388 in Okinawa and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Okinawa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $327 in Okinawa versus $320 in Kawagoe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kawagoe runs roughly 19% less than in Okinawa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe 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 Kawagoe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kawagoe wins on affordability, Okinawa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.