Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Mito

For one person, living is cheaper in Mito: $1,208 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 Mito
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Mito Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Mito

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Mito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,208 in Mito.

Okinawa $1,388
Mito $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,947 in Mito.

Okinawa $2,184
Mito $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,686 in Mito.

Okinawa $2,980
Mito $2,686

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$6.27 ¥990

61.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,355

$40.72 ¥6,431

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.09 ¥805

38.31%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.47 ¥548

18.44%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.11 ¥176

26.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.80 ¥127

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.59 ¥408

-3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$3.14 ¥496

67.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.39 ¥219

13.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.76 ¥278

16.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$3.56 ¥562

5.62%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.02 ¥319

-8.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,842

$10.37 ¥1,638

73.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.00 ¥947

-20.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,546

$14.65 ¥2,314

53.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$5.69 ¥899

-33.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.70 ¥426

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.94 ¥464

-25.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.10 ¥648

28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.54 ¥401

-5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.63 ¥416

-2.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.24 ¥196

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.77 ¥121

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.70 ¥584

5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$6.45 ¥1,019

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.79 ¥283

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.05 ¥323

62.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.55 ¥244

-7.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-0.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.08 ¥487

24.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.74 ¥433

29.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,773

$20.66 ¥3,263

-45.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.12 ¥177

-0.89%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-3.26%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.7K ¥2.5M

-0.74%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$130 ¥20.5K

25.29%

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

$25.35 ¥4,004

$24.70 ¥3,900

2.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,382

$31.70 ¥5,007

67.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$49.13 ¥7,759

48.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,673

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,893

$13.28 ¥2,097

-9.79%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$831 ¥131.3K

-60.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥895.1K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

-62.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,720

$62.8 ¥9,913

-22.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,688

$37.11 ¥5,862

-37.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$61.3 ¥9,678

32.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$101 ¥15.9K

-5.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥65.0K

$557 ¥88.0K

-26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$317 ¥50.1K

4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$1,034 ¥163.4K

-17.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.1K

$733 ¥115.7K

-7.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,884 ¥771.3K

72.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$2,182 ¥344.6K

-45.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.64

-15.53%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mito: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Mito

$317 26.2% 4.5% $15

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Mito

$289 23.9% 12.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Mito

$186 15.4% 22.8% $55

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Mito

$134 11.1% 27.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Mito

$118 9.8% 5.2% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Mito

$76 6.3% 22% $21

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Mito

$88 7.3% 4.6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $557 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $41 in Mito. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $289, with Mito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Mito

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

271,047

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Mito 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Okinawa
Mito

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 Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Okinawa. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,082 in Okinawa and $1,811 in Mito 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 $557 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,388 per month in Okinawa versus $1,208 in Mito – Mito is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mito is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Mito are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.