Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Nagoya

For one person, living costs are similar in Okinawa and in Nagoya: $1,388 and $1,375 a month, rent and utilities included.

Okinawa, Japan
Nagoya, Japan
Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,388
/mo nomad
Nagoya
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,375
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Nagoya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,375 in Nagoya.

  • Okinawa $1,388
  • Nagoya $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $2,052 in Nagoya.

  • Okinawa $2,184
  • Nagoya $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,730 in Nagoya.

  • Okinawa $2,980
  • Nagoya $2,730

Monthly costs are close between Okinawa and Nagoya; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.12 ¥1,598
$8.58 ¥1,355
17.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.24 ¥6,353
$32.23 ¥5,089
24.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 ¥1,112
$5.18 ¥817
35.91%
Cappuccino
$4.11 ¥649
$2.55 ¥403
61.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 ¥221
$1.26 ¥199
11.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 ¥145
$0.91 ¥143
1.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ¥396
$3.11 ¥490
-19.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.27 ¥832
$3.08 ¥486
71.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ¥249
$1.51 ¥239
4.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 ¥324
$1.49 ¥235
37.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.76 ¥594
$4.22 ¥667
-10.90%
Eggs
$1.84 ¥290
$2.23 ¥352
-17.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.99 ¥2,841
$16.05 ¥2,534
12.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.79 ¥757
$6.84 ¥1,080
-29.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.45 ¥3,545
$17.07 ¥2,695
31.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 ¥602
$8.56 ¥1,352
-55.49%
Banana (1kg)
$2.62 ¥413
$3.03 ¥479
-13.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.20 ¥347
$4.98 ¥787
-55.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.26 ¥831
$7.66 ¥1,210
-31.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 ¥377
$3.97 ¥627
-39.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.56 ¥404
$4.72 ¥745
-45.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ¥201
$1.18 ¥186
8.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥122
$0.94 ¥148
-18.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.90 ¥617
$4.05 ¥639
-3.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.40 ¥1,011
$9.72 ¥1,535
-34.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 ¥308
$2.50 ¥395
-22.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.34 ¥528
$2.19 ¥345
52.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.44 ¥227
$1.35 ¥213
6.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 ¥10.3K
$89.2 ¥14.1K
-27.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.82 ¥603
$3.15 ¥497
21.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.54 ¥559
$2.87 ¥453
23.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.23 ¥1,772
$15.97 ¥2,521
-29.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.11 ¥175
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ¥3.3M
$21.6K ¥3.4M
-2.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.5K ¥2.5M
$15.1K ¥2.4M
3.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ¥25.7K
$114 ¥18.0K
42.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.35 ¥4,003
$23.77 ¥3,753
6.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 ¥8,379
$31.40 ¥4,957
69.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.0 ¥11.5K
$43.67 ¥6,895
67.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$54.9 ¥8,670
$13.90 ¥2,194
295.11%
Cinema Ticket
$11.98 ¥1,892
$12.59 ¥1,988
-4.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$327 ¥51.7K
$687 ¥108.5K
-52.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,668 ¥894.9K
$14.7K ¥2.3M
-61.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.88 ¥7,718
$51.2 ¥8,085
-4.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$23.35 ¥3,687
$35.35 ¥5,581
-33.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.2 ¥12.8K
$61.8 ¥9,762
31.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.7 ¥15.1K
$99.9 ¥15.8K
-4.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$411 ¥64.9K
$558 ¥88.1K
-26.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ¥52.4K
$385 ¥60.8K
-13.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$852 ¥134.6K
$937 ¥148.0K
-9.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$678 ¥107.0K
$555 ¥87.6K
22.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,422 ¥1.3M
$3,555 ¥561.3K
136.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,185 ¥187.1K
$1,971 ¥311.2K
-39.88%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Okinawa
Nagoya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,798 ¥283.8K
$1,881 ¥297.0K
-4.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.23
2.02
10.40%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nagoya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Okinawa
$332
Nagoya
$385 16% $53
Groceries & Markets
Okinawa
$330
Nagoya
$382 15.9% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Okinawa
$241
Nagoya
$169 29.7% $72
Eating Out
Okinawa
$184
Nagoya
$145 21% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Okinawa
$112
Nagoya
$112 0.3% $0.4
Sport & Entertainment
Okinawa
$97
Nagoya
$69 29% $28
Getting Around
Okinawa
$92
Nagoya
$112 21.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $558 in Nagoya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays 5% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $32 in Nagoya. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $382, with Okinawa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🇯🇵 Nagoya
🕒 Local time
05:28 5:28 AM
05:28 5:28 AM
Same time as Okinawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
142,752
2,236,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Okinawa Nagoya 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Okinawa
  • Nagoya

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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can you earn more: Okinawa or Nagoya?
On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Okinawa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Okinawa and Nagoya?
Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $558 in Nagoya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Okinawa runs roughly 27% less than in Nagoya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do food prices compare in Okinawa and in Nagoya?
Shoppers in Okinawa pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Is it better to live in Okinawa or in Nagoya?
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.
Which city is safer, Okinawa or Nagoya?
Safety-wise, Okinawa and Nagoya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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