Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Shiso

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

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Okinawa vs $1,048 in Shiso, rent included.

Okinawa $1,364
Shiso $1,048

A couple spends around $2,154 per month in Okinawa vs $1,913 in Shiso, rent included.

Okinawa $2,154
Shiso $1,913

A family of three spends $2,944 per month in Okinawa vs $2,777 in Shiso, rent included.

Okinawa $2,944
Shiso $2,777

Okinawa costs about 30% more than Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Okinawa sits 1% above the global median, while Shiso is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 ¥1,566

$7.87 ¥1,244

25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.91 ¥6,306

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-41.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 ¥1,126

$6.29 ¥993

13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.87 ¥611

$3.69 ¥584

4.88%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$0.83 ¥132

77.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$0.72 ¥114

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥397

$2.58 ¥407

-2.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ¥685

$3.15 ¥497

37.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥257

$1.52 ¥240

7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥326

$3.00 ¥474

-31.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 ¥612

$4.87 ¥769

-20.33%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥281

$2.19 ¥346

-18.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.97 ¥2,840

$10.19 ¥1,609

76.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 ¥766

$6.48 ¥1,023

-25.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.79 ¥3,601

$27.01 ¥4,267

-15.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥571

$5.33 ¥842

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ¥427

$2.59 ¥409

4.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ¥345

$4.06 ¥641

-46.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 ¥816

$5.97 ¥943

-13.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$4.29 ¥678

-44.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ¥386

$2.60 ¥411

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.38 ¥218

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥122

$0.83 ¥130

-6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ¥635

$4.11 ¥650

-2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 ¥995

$7.66 ¥1,211

-17.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥299

$1.92 ¥303

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ¥530

$2.22 ¥351

50.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.36 ¥216

8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 ¥10.4K

$33.90 ¥5,356

94.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$3.57 ¥564

10.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 ¥540

$2.88 ¥455

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 ¥1,802

$20.87 ¥3,297

-45.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.28 ¥202

-17.19%

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

$21.1K ¥3.3M

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-7.65%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$17.0K ¥2.7M

-10.94%

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

$158 ¥25.0K

$144 ¥22.8K

9.66%

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

$25.31 ¥3,999

$23.93 ¥3,781

5.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 ¥8,338

$13.58 ¥2,146

288.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ¥11.2K

$36.74 ¥5,805

93.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

$13.71 ¥2,167

303.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 ¥1,888

$4.59 ¥726

160.35%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$283 ¥44.8K

16.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,632 ¥889.8K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

-58.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,928

$10.06 ¥1,589

398.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.08 ¥3,647

$29.87 ¥4,720

-22.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 ¥12.7K

$33.76 ¥5,334

138.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$99.7 ¥15.7K

-5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.6K

$470 ¥74.3K

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ¥50.6K

$165 ¥26.0K

94.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥132.9K

$862 ¥136.1K

-2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.7K

$659 ¥104.2K

0.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,665 ¥1.4M

$4,229 ¥668.1K

104.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,213 ¥191.7K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

-31.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 ¥285.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.78

25.28%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 24.2%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 11.6% $38

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$320 23.5%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 48.6% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$236 17.3%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 23.1% $55

Eating Out

Okinawa

$178 13.1%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 14.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.2%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 30.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$95 7%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 51.7% $49

Getting Around

Okinawa

$93 6.8%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 38.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Okinawa versus $470 in Shiso. 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 $40.00 in Okinawa versus $68.0 in Shiso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $368 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

36,610

💱 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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Between locations

Okinawa Shiso 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,047 per month in Okinawa and $1,572 in Shiso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiso, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Okinawa and $68.0 in Shiso. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,364 in Okinawa and $1,048 in Shiso. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shiso, where all-in costs run around $1,048, than in Okinawa at $1,364. In Shiso it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shiso – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shiso. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.