Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $970 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,364 in Okinawa versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

Okinawa $1,364
Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Okinawa versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

Okinawa $2,154
Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,944 in Okinawa versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

Okinawa $2,944
Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Okinawa is roughly 6% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 1% above, Kumamoto is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 ¥1,566

$7.13 ¥1,126

38.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.91 ¥6,306

$31.86 ¥5,034

25.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 ¥1,126

$5.96 ¥942

19.63%

Cappuccino

$3.87 ¥611

$3.22 ¥508

20.19%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$1.05 ¥166

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.70 ¥111

41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥397

$3.74 ¥591

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ¥685

$2.26 ¥357

92.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.36 ¥215

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥326

$1.90 ¥299

8.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 ¥612

$6.64 ¥1,050

-41.57%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$1.86 ¥294

-4.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.97 ¥2,840

$17.81 ¥2,814

0.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ¥766

$5.47 ¥865

-11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 ¥3,601

$18.87 ¥2,981

20.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥571

$3.72 ¥587

-2.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.86 ¥294

45.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.78 ¥439

-21.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 ¥816

$3.36 ¥530

53.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.16 ¥342

10.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$2.61 ¥413

-6.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.04 ¥164

21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.91 ¥143

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.94 ¥623

2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$5.61 ¥887

12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.70 ¥268

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ¥530

$1.83 ¥290

83.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.50 ¥236

-1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ¥10.4K

$52.5 ¥8,291

25.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$3.84 ¥606

3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 ¥540

$2.00 ¥317

71.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 ¥1,802

$18.05 ¥2,852

-36.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

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

$21.1K ¥3.3M

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-3.89%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-13.92%

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

$158 ¥25.0K

$210 ¥33.2K

-24.76%

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

$25.31 ¥3,999

$24.28 ¥3,835

4.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$33.30 ¥5,261

58.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ¥11.2K

$52.9 ¥8,359

34.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 ¥1,888

$10.95 ¥1,729

9.13%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$126 ¥20.0K

160.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,632 ¥889.8K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-54.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,928

$48.56 ¥7,672

3.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.08 ¥3,647

$25.99 ¥4,106

-11.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 ¥12.7K

$65.3 ¥10.3K

23.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$47.20 ¥7,457

100.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.6K

$541 ¥85.4K

-25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ¥50.6K

$328 ¥51.9K

-2.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥132.9K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

-24.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.7K

$723 ¥114.2K

-8.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,665 ¥1.4M

$4,158 ¥656.8K

108.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 ¥191.7K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 ¥285.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.97

13.20%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 24.2%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 5.6% $18

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$320 23.5%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 2.5% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$236 17.3%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 13.4% $32

Eating Out

Okinawa

$178 13.1%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 19.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.2%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 24.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$95 7%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 21.3% $20

Getting Around

Okinawa

$93 6.8%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 22.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Okinawa and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Okinawa vs $32.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $312 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

738,865

💱 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 Kumamoto 750 km ≈ 1 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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Okinawa and Kumamoto differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,364 vs $1,283 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,047 in Okinawa and $1,924 in Kumamoto 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: $403 in Okinawa versus $541 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 26% less than in Okinawa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $329 in Okinawa versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,364 in Okinawa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.