Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,379 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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 Ube
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Ube Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Ube

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

A single person spends $1,379 per month in Okinawa vs $1,240 in Ube, rent included.

Okinawa $1,379
Ube $1,240

A couple spends around $2,171 per month in Okinawa vs $1,925 in Ube, rent included.

Okinawa $2,171
Ube $1,925

A family of three spends $2,964 per month in Okinawa vs $2,610 in Ube, rent included.

Okinawa $2,964
Ube $2,610

Okinawa costs about 11% more than Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Okinawa sits 2% above the global median, while Ube is 8% 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

$34.82 ¥5,516

16.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 ¥1,088

$5.61 ¥889

22.46%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ¥619

$3.20 ¥507

22.19%

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

$1.40 ¥222

$1.14 ¥181

22.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.81 ¥128

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥414

$2.02 ¥320

29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 ¥954

$3.09 ¥489

94.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.51 ¥240

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 ¥333

$1.57 ¥249

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 ¥617

$4.80 ¥760

-18.96%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥282

$2.20 ¥349

-19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 ¥2,867

$9.93 ¥1,573

82.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ¥775

$6.37 ¥1,009

-23.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 ¥3,523

$15.50 ¥2,455

43.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥600

$5.25 ¥832

-27.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 ¥411

$2.62 ¥415

-1.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥339

$3.97 ¥629

-46.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$4.46 ¥707

16.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 ¥394

$3.31 ¥524

-24.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.69 ¥427

-7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ¥200

$1.38 ¥218

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$0.82 ¥130

-4.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ¥638

$4.04 ¥640

-0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,013

$6.65 ¥1,053

-3.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.97 ¥312

-4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.35 ¥372

35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.60 ¥253

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$56.5 ¥8,948

15.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 ¥620

$3.39 ¥537

15.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 ¥549

$2.90 ¥459

19.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,812

$21.04 ¥3,333

-45.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.18 ¥188

-11.02%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-6.70%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$17.2K ¥2.7M

-12.84%

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

$162 ¥25.7K

$142 ¥22.5K

14.50%

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

$25.31 ¥4,010

$27.14 ¥4,299

-6.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ¥8,494

$34.42 ¥5,453

55.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.8 ¥11.4K

$57.7 ¥9,147

24.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.8 ¥9,002

$13.93 ¥2,207

307.97%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 ¥1,908

$12.94 ¥2,049

-6.96%

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

$330 ¥52.2K

$277 ¥44.0K

18.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,654 ¥895.6K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

-58.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.74 ¥7,720

$42.73 ¥6,769

14.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.34 ¥3,698

$29.68 ¥4,702

-21.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 ¥12.9K

$60.0 ¥9,502

35.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 ¥15.5K

$91.1 ¥14.4K

7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 ¥64.5K

$462 ¥73.2K

-11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$330 ¥52.3K

-1.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥130.7K

$860 ¥136.2K

-4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ¥105.6K

$648 ¥102.6K

2.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,711 ¥1.4M

$2,856 ¥452.4K

205.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ¥193.3K

$1,757 ¥278.3K

-30.54%

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 Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.9%

Ube

$306 24.7% 7.3% $24

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$327 23.7%

Ube

$330 26.6% 1.1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.5%

Ube

$203 16.4% 15.7% $38

Eating Out

Okinawa

$180 13.1%

Ube

$135 10.9% 24.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$113 8.2%

Ube

$101 8.1% 11.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 7%

Ube

$84 6.8% 12.8% $12

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Ube

$81 6.5% 12.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Okinawa versus $462 in Ube. 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 Ube. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $306 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

162,570

💱 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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Okinawa Ube 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
Ube

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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 11%, 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 $1,859 in Ube. 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 $462 in Ube.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Okinawa and $35 in Ube. 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 $1,240 in Ube. That makes Ube about 10% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,240 in Ube 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.