Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,388 a month against $1,660 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thessaloniki, Greece
Okinawa, Japan
Thessaloniki
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,660
/mo nomad
Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,388
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thessaloniki 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 Thessaloniki and in Okinawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,660 per month in Thessaloniki vs $1,388 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Thessaloniki $1,660
  • Okinawa $1,388

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Thessaloniki vs $2,184 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Thessaloniki $2,529
  • Okinawa $2,184

A family of three spends $3,398 per month in Thessaloniki vs $2,980 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Thessaloniki $3,398
  • Okinawa $2,980

Thessaloniki costs about 20% more than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thessaloniki and Okinawa sit above the global median – Thessaloniki by 22%, Okinawa by 2%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.83 €15.08
$10.12 ¥1,594
66.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.9 €59.9
$40.24 ¥6,338
66.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.04 €9.89
$7.04 ¥1,109
56.82%
Cappuccino
$4.29 €3.84
$4.11 ¥647
4.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 €2.56
$1.40 ¥221
103.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 €0.67
$0.92 ¥145
-18.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.49 €4.92
$2.51 ¥395
118.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 €5.85
$5.27 ¥830
23.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.58 ¥248
8.86%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 €1.53
$2.05 ¥323
-16.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.69 €3.31
$3.76 ¥592
-1.86%
Eggs
$5.52 €4.94
$1.84 ¥289
200.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.99 €12.53
$17.99 ¥2,834
-22.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.20 €10.03
$4.79 ¥755
133.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.82 €16.85
$22.45 ¥3,537
-16.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.49 €2.23
$3.81 ¥601
-34.65%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.62 ¥412
-18.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 €1.93
$2.20 ¥346
-1.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.75 €2.46
$5.26 ¥829
-47.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 €1.14
$2.39 ¥376
-46.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 €1.11
$2.56 ¥403
-51.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.28 ¥201
19.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 €0.80
$0.77 ¥122
15.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.48 €4.91
$3.90 ¥615
40.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.00 €8.96
$6.40 ¥1,008
56.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.86
$1.95 ¥307
6.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.25 €2.91
$3.34 ¥527
-2.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.66 €0.59
$1.44 ¥226
-54.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.02 €16.14
$65.1 ¥10.3K
-72.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.14 €3.71
$3.82 ¥602
8.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 €0.99
$3.54 ¥558
-68.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.48 €14.76
$11.23 ¥1,768
46.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.38 €2.13
$1.11 ¥174
114.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K €25.0K
$20.9K ¥3.3M
33.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.4K €24.6K
$15.5K ¥2.4M
76.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 €188
$163 ¥25.6K
29.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.21 €20.79
$25.35 ¥3,994
-8.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.46 €27.28
$53.1 ¥8,360
-42.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.1 €46.68
$73.0 ¥11.5K
-28.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.26 €14.56
$54.9 ¥8,650
-70.39%
Cinema Ticket
$10.45 €9.36
$11.98 ¥1,888
-12.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$481 €431
$327 ¥51.6K
46.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,979 €8,041
$5,668 ¥892.8K
58.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.4 €87.2
$48.88 ¥7,700
99.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.50 €40.75
$23.35 ¥3,678
94.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 €111
$81.2 ¥12.8K
52.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €116
$95.7 ¥15.1K
35.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$623 €558
$411 ¥64.8K
51.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$507 €454
$332 ¥52.3K
52.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,096 €982
$852 ¥134.3K
28.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$823 €737
$678 ¥106.8K
21.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,708 €3,321
$8,422 ¥1.3M
-55.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,866 €2,567
$1,185 ¥186.6K
141.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thessaloniki
Okinawa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,176 €1,053
$1,798 ¥283.2K
-34.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.34
2.23
139.46%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: October 27, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Thessaloniki
$507
Okinawa
$332 34.5% $175
Groceries & Markets
Thessaloniki
$333
Okinawa
$330 1.1% $3.5
Eating Out
Thessaloniki
$274
Okinawa
$184 33% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thessaloniki
$264
Okinawa
$241 8.5% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Thessaloniki
$178
Okinawa
$112 37.2% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Thessaloniki
$73
Okinawa
$97 32.8% $24
Getting Around
Thessaloniki
$30
Okinawa
$92 205% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Thessaloniki versus $411 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 53% higher in Okinawa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Thessaloniki versus $40 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $333 vs $330 – making Okinawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Thessaloniki
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🕒 Local time
03:53 3:53 AM
10:53 10:53 AM
7 h ahead of Thessaloniki
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
790,824
142,752
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thessaloniki Okinawa 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thessaloniki
  • 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
Thessaloniki vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Okinawa cheaper than Thessaloniki?
Yes – Thessaloniki is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,490 per month in Thessaloniki and $2,082 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Okinawa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $411 there versus $623 in Thessaloniki.
Is eating out cheaper in Thessaloniki or in Okinawa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Thessaloniki and $40 in Okinawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 72% less in Thessaloniki. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is Thessaloniki or Okinawa more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Thessaloniki or Okinawa?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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