Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Oita

For one person, living costs are similar in Okinawa and in Oita: $1,364 and $1,309 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
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Oita Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Oita

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,364 in Okinawa versus $1,309 in Oita.

Okinawa $1,364
Oita $1,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Okinawa versus $2,033 in Oita.

Okinawa $2,154
Oita $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,944 in Okinawa versus $2,757 in Oita.

Okinawa $2,944
Oita $2,757

Living in Okinawa is roughly 4% more expensive than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 1% above, Oita is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 ¥1,566

$7.42 ¥1,172

33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.91 ¥6,306

$42.27 ¥6,677

-5.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 ¥1,126

$5.91 ¥934

20.64%

Cappuccino

$3.87 ¥611

$3.74 ¥591

3.48%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$1.00 ¥159

47.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.75 ¥118

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥397

$3.75 ¥593

-33.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ¥685

$2.25 ¥355

92.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.57 ¥248

3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥326

$1.93 ¥304

7.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 ¥612

$6.61 ¥1,044

-41.30%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$2.30 ¥364

-22.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.97 ¥2,840

$17.89 ¥2,827

0.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ¥766

$5.49 ¥867

-11.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 ¥3,601

$18.89 ¥2,985

20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥571

$3.58 ¥565

1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.81 ¥286

49.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ¥345

$2.86 ¥451

-23.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 ¥816

$3.42 ¥540

50.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$2.15 ¥340

11.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$2.56 ¥404

-4.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.03 ¥163

22.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.91 ¥143

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$3.88 ¥613

3.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$6.34 ¥1,001

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.71 ¥270

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ¥530

$1.85 ¥292

81.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.51 ¥239

-1.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ¥10.4K

$53.2 ¥8,409

23.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$3.91 ¥617

1.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 ¥540

$2.08 ¥329

64.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 ¥1,802

$18.07 ¥2,855

-36.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.05 ¥167

0.95%

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

$21.1K ¥3.3M

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-3.35%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

-14.14%

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

$158 ¥25.0K

$214 ¥33.9K

-26.15%

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

$25.31 ¥3,999

$24.34 ¥3,846

3.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$33.96 ¥5,365

55.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ¥11.2K

$51.3 ¥8,104

38.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 ¥1,888

$11.12 ¥1,757

7.46%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$126 ¥20.0K

160.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,632 ¥889.8K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

-54.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,928

$49.06 ¥7,751

2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.08 ¥3,647

$26.11 ¥4,126

-11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 ¥12.7K

$65.0 ¥10.3K

23.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$47.12 ¥7,445

100.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.6K

$523 ¥82.6K

-23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ¥50.6K

$336 ¥53.0K

-4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥132.9K

$1,094 ¥172.9K

-23.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.7K

$723 ¥114.2K

-8.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,665 ¥1.4M

$4,285 ¥677.0K

102.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 ¥191.7K

$1,755 ¥277.2K

-30.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 ¥285.8K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 24.2%

Oita

$317 24.2% 3.9% $13

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$320 23.5%

Oita

$336 25.6% 4.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$236 17.3%

Oita

$273 20.8% 15.3% $36

Eating Out

Okinawa

$178 13.1%

Oita

$152 11.6% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.2%

Oita

$84 6.4% 24.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$95 7%

Oita

$74 5.6% 22.6% $21

Getting Around

Okinawa

$93 6.8%

Oita

$74 5.6% 20.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Okinawa and $523 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40.00 in Okinawa vs $42.00 in Oita. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $317, with Oita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

475,614

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Oita 830 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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oita wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Okinawa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oita the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,047 in Okinawa and $1,964 in Oita 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: $403 in Okinawa versus $523 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Okinawa versus $126 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,309 in Oita versus $1,364 in Okinawa, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oita but tight or insufficient in Okinawa. The gap between the two cities makes Oita the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Oita are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Oita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Okinawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.