Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Tsushima Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsushima Island: $1,232 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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 Tsushima Island
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Tsushima Island Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Tsushima Island

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Okinawa vs $1,232 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Okinawa $1,379
Tsushima Island $1,232

A couple spends around $2,171 per month in Okinawa vs $1,930 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Okinawa $2,171
Tsushima Island $1,930

A family of three spends $2,964 per month in Okinawa vs $2,629 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Okinawa $2,964
Tsushima Island $2,629

Okinawa costs about 12% more than Tsushima Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 2% above the global median, while Tsushima Island is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ¥1,543

$6.98 ¥1,106

39.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.63 ¥6,436

$35.22 ¥5,579

15.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,088

$5.63 ¥893

22.02%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥619

$3.10 ¥491

26.13%

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

$1.40 ¥222

$1.14 ¥181

22.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.82 ¥129

13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥414

$2.06 ¥327

26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥954

$3.10 ¥491

94.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.52 ¥241

7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥333

$1.67 ¥264

25.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥617

$4.69 ¥743

-17.06%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥282

$2.26 ¥358

-21.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,867

$10.19 ¥1,615

77.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥775

$6.17 ¥977

-20.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,523

$15.46 ¥2,449

43.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥600

$5.42 ¥858

-30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥411

$2.62 ¥416

-1.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥339

$3.95 ¥626

-45.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$4.49 ¥711

15.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$3.35 ¥531

-25.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.55 ¥403

-2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.32 ¥209

-4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.87 ¥139

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥638

$4.08 ¥646

-1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,013

$6.48 ¥1,027

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.94 ¥307

-3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.36 ¥374

34.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.60 ¥254

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$55.6 ¥8,813

16.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥620

$3.54 ¥561

10.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥549

$2.99 ¥474

16.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,812

$20.96 ¥3,320

-45.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.19 ¥188

-11.76%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$23.6K ¥3.7M

-9.84%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

-12.78%

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

$162 ¥25.7K

$138 ¥21.9K

17.60%

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

$25.31 ¥4,010

$27.47 ¥4,351

-7.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,494

$33.39 ¥5,289

60.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$58.3 ¥9,231

23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥9,002

$13.99 ¥2,216

306.22%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,908

$13.37 ¥2,118

-9.95%

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

$330 ¥52.2K

$284 ¥45.1K

15.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥895.6K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-57.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,720

$43.63 ¥6,912

11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,698

$29.76 ¥4,715

-21.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.9K

$59.3 ¥9,388

37.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.5K

$90.5 ¥14.3K

8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.5K

$473 ¥74.9K

-13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$326 ¥51.6K

0.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.7K

$873 ¥138.3K

-5.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.6K

$666 ¥105.5K

0.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$2,785 ¥441.2K

212.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥193.3K

$1,744 ¥276.3K

-30.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.81

23.20%

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

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Tsushima Island

$307 24.9% 7% $23

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Tsushima Island

$326 26.5% 0.2% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Tsushima Island

$199 16.2% 17.6% $42

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.9% 25.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.2% 11.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 11.4% $11

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Tsushima Island

$81 6.5% 12.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Okinawa versus $473 in Tsushima Island. 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 $41 in Okinawa versus $35 in Tsushima Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $307 – making Tsushima Island the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

28,000

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Okinawa vs Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,068 per month in Okinawa and $1,848 in Tsushima Island. 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 $407 there versus $473 in Tsushima Island.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa and $35 in Tsushima Island. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,232 in Tsushima Island. That makes Tsushima Island about 11% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,379 in Okinawa and $1,232 in Tsushima Island, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,232 in Tsushima Island to $1,379 in Okinawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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