Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Nagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagasaki: $1,287 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Okinawa despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Nagasaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,287 in Nagasaki.

Okinawa $1,388
Nagasaki $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,907 in Nagasaki.

Okinawa $2,184
Nagasaki $1,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,527 in Nagasaki.

Okinawa $2,980
Nagasaki $2,527

Living in Okinawa is roughly 8% more expensive than in Nagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Nagasaki is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,594

$5.03 ¥792

101.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,338

$19.07 ¥3,004

111.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,109

$5.10 ¥803

38.04%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥647

$3.63 ¥572

13.22%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.04 ¥164

34.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.76 ¥120

21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥395

$2.16 ¥341

16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥830

$2.26 ¥355

133.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥248

$1.55 ¥245

1.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥323

$1.84 ¥290

11.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥592

$6.21 ¥979

-39.45%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥289

$2.03 ¥320

-9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,834

$9.36 ¥1,475

92.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥755

$3.21 ¥506

49.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,537

$19.33 ¥3,045

16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥601

$3.56 ¥561

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥412

$1.83 ¥288

43.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥346

$2.88 ¥453

-23.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥829

$3.26 ¥514

61.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥376

$2.24 ¥353

6.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥403

$2.65 ¥417

-3.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.04 ¥163

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.97 ¥152

-20.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥615

$3.87 ¥609

0.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,008

$6.50 ¥1,024

-1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥307

$1.71 ¥269

14.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥527

$1.85 ¥291

80.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥226

$1.27 ¥200

13.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$56.4 ¥8,888

15.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥602

$4.12 ¥649

-7.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥558

$2.40 ¥378

47.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,768

$17.66 ¥2,782

-36.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥174

$1.08 ¥170

2.78%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-8.32%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

0.51%

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

$163 ¥25.6K

$215 ¥33.8K

-24.17%

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

$25.35 ¥3,994

$24.77 ¥3,902

2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,360

$33.03 ¥5,203

60.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$52.3 ¥8,242

39.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,650

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,888

$12.66 ¥1,995

-5.37%

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

$327 ¥51.6K

$706 ¥111.2K

-53.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥892.8K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-54.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,700

$48.40 ¥7,624

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,678

$25.87 ¥4,075

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$67.7 ¥10.7K

19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$46.74 ¥7,363

104.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.8K

$550 ¥86.6K

-25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.3K

$374 ¥58.9K

-11.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.3K

$1,085 ¥170.9K

-21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥106.8K

$743 ¥117.0K

-8.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$4,205 ¥662.3K

100.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥186.6K

$2,287 ¥360.3K

-48.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.2K

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 Nagasaki: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Nagasaki

$374 29.1% 12.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Nagasaki

$279 21.7% 15.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Nagasaki

$272 21.2% 13% $31

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Nagasaki

$122 9.5% 33.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Nagasaki

$85 6.6% 24.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 19.9% $19

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Nagasaki

$78 6% 16% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $550 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $19 in Nagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $279 per month, with Nagasaki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

409,118

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Nagasaki 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min 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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nagasaki is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,082 in Okinawa and $1,931 in Nagasaki 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 $550 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nagasaki – a meal for two runs $19 versus $40 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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