Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $986 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Kurume

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $986 in Kurume.

Okinawa $1,388
Kurume $986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,555 in Kurume.

Okinawa $2,184
Kurume $1,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,124 in Kurume.

Okinawa $2,980
Kurume $2,124

Living in Okinawa is roughly 41% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Kurume is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$4.30 ¥679

135.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,353

$42.56 ¥6,720

-5.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$3.85 ¥607

82.86%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$1.88 ¥298

118.62%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$0.69 ¥108

102.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.53 ¥84.3

73.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.13 ¥494

-19.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$1.63 ¥257

223.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.30 ¥206

21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.29 ¥203

58.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$5.01 ¥791

-24.95%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$1.87 ¥296

-1.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,841

$17.95 ¥2,834

0.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$5.52 ¥872

-13.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,545

$19.22 ¥3,034

16.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$3.54 ¥559

7.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.86 ¥294

40.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.92 ¥461

-24.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$3.25 ¥514

61.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.20 ¥348

8.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.62 ¥413

-2.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.04 ¥165

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.96 ¥152

-19.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.57 ¥564

9.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.52 ¥1,030

-1.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.68 ¥265

16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$1.10 ¥174

203.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.47 ¥233

-2.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$58.0 ¥9,163

12.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$4.15 ¥655

-7.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.31 ¥365

53.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$17.66 ¥2,788

-36.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$0.65 ¥103

70.77%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$22.6K ¥3.6M

-7.32%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

1.93%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$215 ¥34.0K

-24.41%

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

$25.35 ¥4,003

$24.93 ¥3,937

1.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$22.65 ¥3,576

134.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$55.8 ¥8,806

30.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,670

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$6.91 ¥1,091

73.37%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$695 ¥109.7K

-52.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.9K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

-54.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,718

$48.99 ¥7,735

-0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,687

$12.62 ¥1,992

85.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$25.10 ¥3,962

223.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$31.59 ¥4,987

202.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

$549 ¥86.7K

-25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$127 ¥20.1K

160.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$485 ¥76.6K

75.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$318 ¥50.2K

113.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$3,977 ¥627.8K

111.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,146 ¥338.9K

-44.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.8K

$1,510 ¥238.4K

19.06%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Kurume: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Kurume

$127 12.9% 61.7% $205

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Kurume

$301 30.5% 8.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Kurume

$263 26.7% 9% $22

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Kurume

$92 9.4% 49.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Kurume

$53 5.4% 52.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Kurume

$70 7.1% 28.3% $27

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Kurume

$80 8.1% 13.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $549 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 19% 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 $43 in Kurume. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $301, with Kurume cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

303,316

💱 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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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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,388 in Okinawa and $986 in Kurume, so Kurume is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $549 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Okinawa – a meal for two runs $40 versus $43 in Kurume. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $986 in Kurume versus $1,388 in Okinawa, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

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