Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,381 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,381
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Okinawa versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

  • Okinawa $1,381
  • Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,166 in Okinawa versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

  • Okinawa $2,166
  • Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,951 in Okinawa versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

  • Okinawa $2,951
  • Lisbon $4,319

Living in Okinawa costs roughly 38% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Okinawa 2% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.80 ¥1,549
$16.50 €14.67
-40.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.42 ¥6,386
$61.3 €54.5
-34.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.06 ¥1,115
$11.27 €10.03
-37.36%
Cappuccino
$4.06 ¥641
$3.06 €2.72
32.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 ¥224
$2.26 €2.01
-37.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ¥143
$1.73 €1.54
-47.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ¥402
$3.39 €3.02
-24.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ¥708
$3.40 €3.02
31.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ¥259
$1.12 €1.00
46.43%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 ¥326
$1.86 €1.65
10.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.87 ¥612
$1.53 €1.36
152.94%
Eggs
$1.82 ¥288
$3.96 €3.53
-54.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.61 ¥2,783
$12.76 €11.35
38.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.78 ¥754
$7.90 €7.02
-39.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.73 ¥3,591
$16.97 €15.09
33.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 ¥572
$2.27 €2.02
59.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 ¥422
$1.75 €1.55
52.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 ¥338
$1.85 €1.64
15.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.20 ¥822
$2.57 €2.28
102.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.38 ¥376
$1.86 €1.65
27.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 ¥408
$2.02 €1.80
27.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ¥197
$1.44 €1.28
-13.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 ¥117
$0.82 €0.73
-9.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.86 ¥610
$6.56 €5.83
-41.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.44 ¥1,017
$5.62 €5.00
14.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 ¥298
$1.28 €1.14
47.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 ¥510
$2.07 €1.84
56.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.46 ¥231
$2.35 €2.09
-37.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.7 ¥10.5K
$44.18 €39.30
50.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.74 ¥590
$3.99 €3.55
-6.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.54 ¥560
$1.09 €0.97
224.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.25 ¥1,777
$16.64 €14.81
-32.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥173
$2.28 €2.03
-52.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K ¥3.4M
$33.7K €30.0K
-36.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.0K ¥2.4M
$39.3K €35.0K
-61.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$160 ¥25.3K
$167 €149
-4.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.14 ¥3,972
$18.80 €16.72
33.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.3 ¥8,422
$33.09 €29.43
61.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.8 ¥11.5K
$46.01 €40.93
58.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$55.8 ¥8,809
$19.19 €17.07
190.57%
Cinema Ticket
$12.02 ¥1,899
$9.84 €8.75
22.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$331 ¥52.3K
$677 €602
-51.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,489 ¥867.2K
$16.9K €15.1K
-67.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.81 ¥7,712
$101 €90.1
-51.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.08 ¥3,646
$45.76 €40.70
-49.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.6 ¥12.9K
$100.0 €88.9
-18.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.7 ¥15.0K
$123 €109
-22.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$411 ¥64.9K
$1,614 €1,436
-74.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥52.4K
$1,197 €1,065
-72.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$819 ¥129.4K
$2,862 €2,545
-71.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$660 ¥104.3K
$1,990 €1,770
-66.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,731 ¥1.4M
$7,577 €6,740
15.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,185 ¥187.2K
$4,307 €3,831
-72.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Okinawa
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,842 ¥291.0K
$1,588 €1,412
16.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
3.85
-42.08%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
$332
Lisbon
$1.2K 261% $865
Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
$328
Lisbon
$269 18% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
$239
Lisbon
$219 8.1% $19
Eating Out
Okinawa
$179
Lisbon
$242 35.1% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
$112
Lisbon
$166 49% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
$97
Lisbon
$66 32.2% $31
Getting Around
Okinawa
$94
Lisbon
$63 33% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Okinawa vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $269, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
14:41 2:41 PM
06:41 6:41 AM
8 h behind Okinawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
142,752
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Okinawa Lisbon 11,500 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Okinawa
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Okinawa and in Lisbon?
Okinawa and Lisbon differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,381 vs $2,223 including rent). Okinawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Okinawa or Lisbon?
Average pay runs 16% higher in Okinawa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Okinawa and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Okinawa and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $331 in Okinawa versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,381 in Okinawa versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Okinawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Okinawa and Lisbon?
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.
Is Okinawa or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Okinawa and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Okinawa or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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