Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,205 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,205 in Koriyama.

Okinawa $1,388
Koriyama $1,205

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,922 in Koriyama.

Okinawa $2,184
Koriyama $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,640 in Koriyama.

Okinawa $2,980
Koriyama $2,640

Living in Okinawa is roughly 15% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Koriyama is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$5.75 ¥908

76.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,353

$33.79 ¥5,335

19.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.50 ¥868

28.00%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.06 ¥484

34.31%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.18 ¥186

18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.88 ¥138

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.33 ¥367

7.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$3.10 ¥489

70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.29 ¥204

22.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.72 ¥272

19.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$4.36 ¥689

-13.76%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.31 ¥365

-20.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,841

$11.62 ¥1,835

54.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.68 ¥1,055

-28.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,545

$17.94 ¥2,832

25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$3.98 ¥629

-4.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.06 ¥325

27.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.87 ¥453

-23.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.21 ¥665

24.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.27 ¥358

5.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.82 ¥446

-9.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.45 ¥229

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.95 ¥150

-18.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$4.24 ¥670

-8.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.05 ¥956

5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.77 ¥280

10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.28 ¥361

46.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.45 ¥230

-0.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$62.6 ¥9,879

4.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.07 ¥484

24.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$3.21 ¥507

10.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$19.37 ¥3,059

-42.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$0.94 ¥148

18.09%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$24.2K ¥3.8M

-13.53%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

2.99%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$123 ¥19.4K

32.20%

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

$25.35 ¥4,003

$23.55 ¥3,718

7.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$33.61 ¥5,306

57.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$53.5 ¥8,447

36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,670

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$10.98 ¥1,733

9.11%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$687 ¥108.5K

-52.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.9K

$13.2K ¥2.1M

-57.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,718

$46.90 ¥7,405

4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,687

$34.98 ¥5,523

-33.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$68.5 ¥10.8K

18.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$89.9 ¥14.2K

6.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

$540 ¥85.3K

-23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$329 ¥51.9K

0.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$970 ¥153.1K

-12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$748 ¥118.1K

-9.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$3,974 ¥627.4K

111.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,190 ¥345.7K

-45.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.21

0.90%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Koriyama

$329 27.3% 0.9% $2.9

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Koriyama

$299 24.8% 9.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Koriyama

$180 15% 25.3% $61

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Koriyama

$125 10.4% 31.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Koriyama

$108 9% 3.5% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Koriyama

$75 6.3% 22.2% $22

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Koriyama

$88 7.3% 5.3% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $540 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $34 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $299 per month, with Koriyama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

327,692

💱 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 Koriyama 1,690 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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,388 in Okinawa and $1,205 in Koriyama, so Koriyama is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,082 in Okinawa and $1,807 in Koriyama 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 $540 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 4% less than in Okinawa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $327 in Okinawa versus $687 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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