Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,399 in Okinawa versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Okinawa $1,399
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,189 in Okinawa versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Okinawa $2,189
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Okinawa versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Okinawa $2,979
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Okinawa costs roughly 10% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Okinawa 4% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,603

$11.12 MX$204

-8.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,295

$48.99 MX$900

-18.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,114

$11.23 MX$206

-37.31%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥675

$3.76 MX$69.0

13.30%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$1.65 MX$30.34

-10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.28 MX$23.48

-21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.26 MX$59.8

-38.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥720

$5.66 MX$104

-19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.81 MX$33.23

-9.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥341

$2.94 MX$54.0

-26.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥607

$2.05 MX$37.62

87.32%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$2.93 MX$53.7

-40.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,839

$11.95 MX$219

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥771

$9.51 MX$175

-48.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,507

$14.84 MX$273

49.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥573

$3.14 MX$57.7

15.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥417

$2.01 MX$36.99

30.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$2.08 MX$38.10

2.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$2.22 MX$40.72

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥381

$2.06 MX$37.82

16.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$1.88 MX$34.46

37.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥208

$1.48 MX$27.18

-11.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$1.35 MX$24.70

-45.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥631

$5.41 MX$99.3

-26.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,016

$16.86 MX$310

-61.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$1.98 MX$36.43

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥505

$4.32 MX$79.4

-26.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥233

$0.34 MX$6.33

332.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$20.23 MX$371

232.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥628

$2.10 MX$38.47

89.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥564

$0.53 MX$9.74

571.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$5.41 MX$99.3

111.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.52 MX$27.91

-28.29%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.7K MX$399.0K

-2.21%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$24.8K MX$455.6K

-37.91%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$63.0 MX$1,156

157.17%

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

$24.91 ¥3,943

$28.88 MX$530

-13.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,513

$33.93 MX$623

58.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$55.8 MX$1,024

27.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,689

$24.90 MX$457

120.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,927

$6.77 MX$124

79.76%

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

$329 ¥52.1K

$428 MX$7,854

-23.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥876.3K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

-53.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,923

$70.0 MX$1,286

-28.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,685

$53.7 MX$986

-56.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$110 MX$2,016

-28.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥15.0K

$115 MX$2,115

-17.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-61.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$671 MX$12.3K

-51.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.6K

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥105.0K

$1,260 MX$23.1K

-47.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$3,716 MX$68.2K

131.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.8K

$1,976 MX$36.3K

-38.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.6K

$997 MX$18.3K

85.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

11.3

-80.27%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 0.5% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 104% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Mexico City

$126 8% 47.7% $115

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 13.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 41.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 27.5% $26

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 72.2% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Okinawa and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 86% 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 $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $328 vs $327, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

01:44 1:44 AM

15 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Okinawa Mexico City 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Okinawa and Mexico City differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,399 vs $1,561 including rent). Okinawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% 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: $404 in Okinawa versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Okinawa runs roughly 232% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $329 in Okinawa versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,399 in Okinawa versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Okinawa 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 Mexico City 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 Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.