Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Nara, Japan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,233 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Nara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,233 in Nara.

Okinawa $1,388
Nara $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,851 in Nara.

Okinawa $2,184
Nara $1,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,468 in Nara.

Okinawa $2,980
Nara $2,468

Living in Okinawa is roughly 13% more expensive than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Nara is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$6.33 ¥998

59.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,351

$32.27 ¥5,093

24.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,111

$4.99 ¥787

41.08%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$2.50 ¥395

64.40%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.26 ¥199

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.71 ¥112

29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.21 ¥507

-21.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥831

$3.10 ¥489

70.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.57 ¥248

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.30 ¥205

57.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥593

$4.12 ¥650

-8.74%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.23 ¥352

-17.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,840

$9.75 ¥1,540

84.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$7.07 ¥1,116

-32.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,544

$18.13 ¥2,861

23.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$3.30 ¥521

15.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$1.93 ¥304

35.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.12 ¥334

3.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$4.08 ¥643

28.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$1.50 ¥236

59.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.14 ¥179

124.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.13 ¥179

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.88 ¥139

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.88 ¥613

0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,010

$9.54 ¥1,505

-32.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.87 ¥295

4.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.15 ¥339

55.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.48 ¥234

-2.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$74.3 ¥11.7K

-12.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.15 ¥498

21.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$2.92 ¥462

21.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$15.66 ¥2,471

-28.29%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.88%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

1.48%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$118 ¥18.6K

38.05%

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

$25.35 ¥4,002

$24.81 ¥3,917

2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,377

$30.74 ¥4,852

72.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$83.2 ¥13.1K

-12.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,668

$7.58 ¥1,197

624.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$12.57 ¥1,984

-4.69%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$693 ¥109.3K

-52.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.6K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-57.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,716

$47.11 ¥7,435

3.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,685

$30.96 ¥4,887

-24.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$61.8 ¥9,748

31.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$89.9 ¥14.2K

6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

0.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$340 ¥53.7K

-2.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.5K

$832 ¥131.3K

2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$547 ¥86.3K

23.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$2,671 ¥421.5K

215.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.0K

$2,040 ¥322.0K

-41.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.7K

$1,123 ¥177.2K

60.12%

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 Nara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Nara

$340 27.6% 2.4% $8.1

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Nara

$285 23.1% 13.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Nara

$173 14.1% 28.1% $68

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Nara

$126 10.2% 31.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Nara

$103 8.4% 7.8% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Nara

$108 8.8% 11.7% $11

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Nara

$98 8% 6.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

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

Okinawa pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $32 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $285 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

355,280

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Okinawa Nara 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Nara

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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 60% 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: $411 in Okinawa versus $411 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nara – a meal for two runs $32 versus $40 in Okinawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,388 per month in Okinawa versus $1,233 in Nara – Nara is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Nara wins on affordability, Okinawa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.