Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,213 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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 Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Okinawa vs $1,213 in Morioka, rent included.

Okinawa $1,379
Morioka $1,213

A couple spends around $2,171 per month in Okinawa vs $1,906 in Morioka, rent included.

Okinawa $2,171
Morioka $1,906

A family of three spends $2,964 per month in Okinawa vs $2,598 in Morioka, rent included.

Okinawa $2,964
Morioka $2,598

Okinawa costs about 14% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 2% above the global median, while Morioka is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,534

$6.44 ¥1,015

51.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,399

$32.09 ¥5,055

26.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,082

$5.05 ¥795

36.04%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥616

$3.11 ¥491

25.72%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.15 ¥182

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥146

$0.80 ¥126

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥411

$2.68 ¥421

-2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥949

$3.24 ¥511

85.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.49 ¥234

9.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥331

$1.63 ¥256

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥613

$4.26 ¥672

-8.69%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$2.11 ¥333

-15.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,851

$10.41 ¥1,640

73.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥771

$6.48 ¥1,020

-24.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,503

$16.65 ¥2,623

33.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥597

$3.71 ¥585

2.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥408

$2.31 ¥364

12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥337

$2.93 ¥462

-26.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥815

$4.21 ¥663

23.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$2.45 ¥385

1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥390

$2.47 ¥389

0.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.23 ¥194

2.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.87 ¥137

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥634

$3.83 ¥604

5.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,007

$6.70 ¥1,055

-4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.82 ¥286

3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥500

$2.16 ¥341

47.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.45 ¥228

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.2K

$56.6 ¥8,918

14.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥617

$3.21 ¥506

22.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥546

$2.91 ¥458

19.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,802

$18.57 ¥2,925

-38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.06 ¥167

-0.94%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-2.04%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$15.2K ¥2.4M

-1.35%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$134 ¥21.1K

21.46%

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

$25.31 ¥3,987

$23.95 ¥3,772

5.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,445

$31.16 ¥4,908

72.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.3K

$52.4 ¥8,247

37.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥8,951

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,897

$12.94 ¥2,038

-6.96%

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

$330 ¥51.9K

$685 ¥107.9K

-51.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥890.5K

$12.6K ¥2.0M

-55.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,676

$49.29 ¥7,762

-1.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,677

$31.94 ¥5,031

-26.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.8K

$61.9 ¥9,750

31.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.4K

$88.9 ¥14.0K

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.1K

$546 ¥86.1K

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.4K

$340 ¥53.5K

-3.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.0K

$1,030 ¥162.2K

-19.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.0K

$732 ¥115.2K

-8.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$4,333 ¥682.5K

101.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥192.2K

$2,357 ¥371.2K

-48.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥285.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.21

0.90%

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

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Morioka: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Morioka

$290 23.9% 12.1% $40

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Morioka

$340 28% 4.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Morioka

$189 15.6% 21.8% $53

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Morioka

$132 10.9% 26.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Morioka

$104 8.6% 7.7% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Morioka

$78 6.5% 18.4% $18

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Morioka

$80 6.6% 13.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Okinawa versus $546 in Morioka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa versus $32 in Morioka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $290 – making Morioka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

289,731

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Morioka 1,920 km ≈ 3 h 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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,379 in Okinawa, $1,213 in Morioka – Morioka comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,068 per month in Okinawa and $1,820 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $546 in Morioka.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Okinawa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa and $32 in Morioka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,213 in Morioka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,213 in Morioka to $1,379 in Okinawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.