Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,388 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tokyo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Tokyo

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

A single person spends $1,388 per month in Okinawa vs $1,688 in Tokyo, rent included.

Okinawa $1,388
Tokyo $1,688

A couple spends around $2,184 per month in Okinawa vs $2,588 in Tokyo, rent included.

Okinawa $2,184
Tokyo $2,588

A family of three spends $2,980 per month in Okinawa vs $3,489 in Tokyo, rent included.

Okinawa $2,980
Tokyo $3,489

Okinawa is about 18% cheaper than Tokyo.

Both Okinawa and Tokyo sit above the global median – Okinawa by 2%, Tokyo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,598

$7.72 ¥1,220

31.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,353

$37.51 ¥5,923

7.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$5.01 ¥790

40.52%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥649

$3.68 ¥580

11.68%

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

$1.40 ¥221

$1.51 ¥239

-7.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.85 ¥133

8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$3.77 ¥596

-33.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥832

$5.75 ¥908

-8.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥249

$1.49 ¥236

6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.73 ¥273

18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$5.80 ¥916

-35.17%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥290

$2.25 ¥355

-18.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,841

$11.50 ¥1,815

56.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥757

$6.96 ¥1,099

-31.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,545

$16.39 ¥2,588

36.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$4.73 ¥747

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.28 ¥360

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$4.26 ¥673

-48.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥831

$5.37 ¥847

-2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$3.29 ¥520

-27.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$3.00 ¥474

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.15 ¥181

11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.80 ¥126

-3.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥617

$3.89 ¥615

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,011

$9.72 ¥1,535

-34.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.70 ¥269

14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥528

$2.66 ¥420

25.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.25 ¥197

15.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$62.4 ¥9,858

4.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥603

$3.15 ¥497

21.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥559

$3.14 ¥495

12.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,772

$18.98 ¥2,996

-40.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$22.5K ¥3.6M

-7.03%

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

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$15.3K ¥2.4M

1.33%

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

$163 ¥25.7K

$147 ¥23.2K

10.80%

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

$25.35 ¥4,003

$23.17 ¥3,659

9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,379

$30.10 ¥4,752

76.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$57.4 ¥9,069

27.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,670

$26.48 ¥4,181

107.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,892

$13.39 ¥2,114

-10.53%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$1,410 ¥222.7K

-76.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥894.9K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-69.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,718

$55.3 ¥8,735

-11.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,687

$32.43 ¥5,120

-28.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$64.4 ¥10.2K

26.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$72.1 ¥11.4K

32.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.9K

$1,329 ¥209.9K

-69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$729 ¥115.0K

-54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.6K

$2,622 ¥414.0K

-67.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥107.0K

$1,401 ¥221.2K

-51.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-21.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥187.1K

$5,054 ¥798.0K

-76.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.8K

$3,019 ¥476.6K

-40.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.25

-0.89%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 120% $397

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 0.7% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 17% $41

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 12.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Tokyo

$101 6% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Tokyo

$84 5% 13.2% $13

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 6.6% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Okinawa versus $1,329 in Tokyo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Tokyo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Okinawa versus $38 in Tokyo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $327 – making Tokyo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Okinawa Tokyo 1,520 km ≈ 2 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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,082 per month in Okinawa and $2,533 in Tokyo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $1,329 in Tokyo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Okinawa and $38 in Tokyo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Tokyo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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