Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Okinawa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Singapore and in Okinawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Singapore vs $1,399 in Okinawa, rent included.

Singapore $3,454
Okinawa $1,399

A couple spends around $5,224 per month in Singapore vs $2,189 in Okinawa, rent included.

Singapore $5,224
Okinawa $2,189

A family of three spends $6,994 per month in Singapore vs $2,979 in Okinawa, rent included.

Singapore $6,994
Okinawa $2,979

Singapore costs about 147% more than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Okinawa sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Okinawa by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$10.13 ¥1,603

13.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$39.78 ¥6,295

78.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$7.04 ¥1,114

24.43%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$4.26 ¥675

23.24%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.47 ¥233

24.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.00 ¥158

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.78

$2.01 ¥318

318.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$4.55 ¥720

120.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.64 ¥259

79.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$2.15 ¥341

14.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$3.84 ¥607

-29.43%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$1.75 ¥277

113.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.57

$17.94 ¥2,839

20.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.19

$4.87 ¥771

95.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.26

$22.16 ¥3,507

17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$3.62 ¥573

23.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.63 ¥417

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.14 ¥338

115.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$5.18 ¥820

-56.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$2.41 ¥381

3.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$2.58 ¥408

-7.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.31 ¥208

35.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.74 ¥117

104.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.15

$3.99 ¥631

255.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$6.42 ¥1,016

270.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.87 ¥295

141.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.19 ¥505

43.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.47 ¥233

7.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$67.2 ¥10.6K

43.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$3.97 ¥628

-8.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$3.56 ¥564

-77.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.71

$11.44 ¥1,810

41.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.09 ¥173

130.28%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

633.47%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

846.16%

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

$175 SGD 224

$162 ¥25.6K

8.08%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$24.91 ¥3,943

-50.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.10

$53.8 ¥8,513

-50.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$71.3 ¥11.3K

56.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.45

$54.9 ¥8,689

-78.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$12.17 ¥1,927

-4.68%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$329 ¥52.1K

344.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$5,538 ¥876.3K

412.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$50.1 ¥7,923

62.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$23.29 ¥3,685

117.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$78.8 ¥12.5K

41.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$94.6 ¥15.0K

37.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$404 ¥63.9K

621.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,724

$328 ¥51.9K

548.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,239

$826 ¥130.6K

584.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,080

$663 ¥105.0K

498.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$8,594 ¥1.4M

174.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,206 ¥190.8K

1295.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$1,849 ¥292.6K

136.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.23

9.42%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 84.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 28.2% $129

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 28.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 12.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Okinawa

$111 8% 34% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 29% $39

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 14% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Singapore versus $404 in Okinawa. 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 136% higher in Singapore, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $328 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

142,752

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Singapore Okinawa 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Okinawa

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

Singapore vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Singapore and $2,098 in Okinawa. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore and $40.00 in Okinawa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,454 in Singapore and $1,399 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 147%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Okinawa, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Okinawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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