Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kobe

For one person, living costs are similar in Okinawa and in Kobe: $1,388 and $1,392 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kobe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,392 in Kobe.

Okinawa $1,388
Kobe $1,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $2,067 in Kobe.

Okinawa $2,184
Kobe $2,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,742 in Kobe.

Okinawa $2,980
Kobe $2,742

Monthly costs are close between Okinawa and Kobe; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Okinawa 2% above, Kobe 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$7.70 ¥1,216

31.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,353

$31.86 ¥5,031

26.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$4.91 ¥776

43.38%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$2.37 ¥375

73.42%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.19 ¥188

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.57 ¥90.0

61.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.12 ¥335

18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$2.30 ¥363

129.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.57 ¥248

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.34 ¥211

52.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$4.17 ¥658

-9.83%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.04 ¥322

-9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,841

$12.61 ¥1,990

42.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.78 ¥1,070

-29.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,545

$17.06 ¥2,694

31.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$7.70 ¥1,216

-50.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$3.06 ¥484

-14.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$4.97 ¥784

-55.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$7.71 ¥1,217

-31.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$3.84 ¥606

-37.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$3.45 ¥545

-25.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.13 ¥179

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.94 ¥148

-18.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.48 ¥549

12.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$8.05 ¥1,271

-20.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.96 ¥310

-0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$1.45 ¥229

130.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.45 ¥229

-0.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$62.4 ¥9,856

4.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.11 ¥491

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$3.24 ¥511

9.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$26.72 ¥4,218

-57.97%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

5.12%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

0.66%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$148 ¥23.3K

10.13%

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

$25.35 ¥4,003

$23.26 ¥3,672

8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$31.25 ¥4,933

69.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$46.90 ¥7,405

55.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,670

$11.83 ¥1,868

364.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$12.86 ¥2,031

-6.84%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$321 ¥50.6K

2.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.9K

$6,141 ¥969.5K

-7.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,718

$50.6 ¥7,990

-3.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,687

$25.01 ¥3,949

-6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$45.98 ¥7,260

76.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$65.6 ¥10.4K

45.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

$691 ¥109.0K

-40.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$463 ¥73.1K

-28.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$1,100 ¥173.7K

-22.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$737 ¥116.4K

-8.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,325 ¥682.9K

94.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,894 ¥456.9K

-59.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.8K

$1,975 ¥311.8K

-8.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.02

10.40%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Kobe

$463 33.3% 39.5% $131

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Kobe

$355 25.5% 7.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Kobe

$202 14.5% 16.1% $39

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Kobe

$127 9.1% 30.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Kobe

$84 6.1% 24.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Kobe

$73 5.2% 25.1% $24

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Kobe

$88 6.3% 5.3% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $691 in Kobe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $32 in Kobe. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $355, with Okinawa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kobe

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

1,537,272

💱 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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Between locations

Okinawa Kobe 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Kobe

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 Kobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Okinawa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $691 in Kobe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $327 in Okinawa versus $321 in Kobe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kobe – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Kobe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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