Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsukuba and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,103 a month against $1,364 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,103 per month in Tsukuba vs $1,364 in Okinawa, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,103
Okinawa $1,364

A couple spends around $1,755 per month in Tsukuba vs $2,154 in Okinawa, rent included.

Tsukuba $1,755
Okinawa $2,154

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Tsukuba vs $2,944 in Okinawa, rent included.

Tsukuba $2,407
Okinawa $2,944

Tsukuba is about 19% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tsukuba sits 19% below the global median, while Okinawa is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,023

$9.91 ¥1,566

-34.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.71 ¥5,168

$39.91 ¥6,306

-18.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥777

$7.13 ¥1,126

-31.00%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ¥427

$3.87 ¥611

-30.23%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$1.47 ¥233

-32.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.99 ¥156

-20.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 ¥345

$2.51 ¥397

-13.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥500

$4.34 ¥685

-26.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.63 ¥257

-14.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥269

$2.07 ¥326

-17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ¥484

$3.88 ¥612

-20.88%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$1.78 ¥281

16.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 ¥1,647

$17.97 ¥2,840

-41.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 ¥936

$4.85 ¥766

22.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 ¥2,277

$22.79 ¥3,601

-36.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.55 ¥877

$3.62 ¥571

53.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$2.70 ¥427

4.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ¥461

$2.19 ¥345

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$5.16 ¥816

-21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥396

$2.39 ¥377

4.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$2.45 ¥386

6.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥125

$1.26 ¥199

-37.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.78 ¥122

5.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 ¥584

$4.02 ¥635

-7.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 ¥986

$6.30 ¥995

-0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥275

$1.90 ¥299

-8.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥321

$3.35 ¥530

-39.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.48 ¥233

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 ¥8,284

$65.9 ¥10.4K

-20.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.96 ¥625

-18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$3.42 ¥540

-20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.84 ¥3,292

$11.40 ¥1,802

82.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$21.1K ¥3.3M

0.83%

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

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$15.1K ¥2.4M

18.18%

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

$132 ¥20.9K

$158 ¥25.0K

-16.64%

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

$24.06 ¥3,801

$25.31 ¥3,999

-4.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.01 ¥5,057

$52.8 ¥8,338

-39.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ¥8,596

$71.1 ¥11.2K

-23.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.3 ¥8,734

Cinema Ticket

$12.48 ¥1,972

$11.95 ¥1,888

4.44%

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

$95.9 ¥15.1K

$329 ¥52.0K

-70.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$5,632 ¥889.8K

163.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.00 ¥7,584

$50.2 ¥7,928

-4.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 ¥5,918

$23.08 ¥3,647

62.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.06 ¥6,014

$80.5 ¥12.7K

-52.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.32 ¥6,528

$94.6 ¥14.9K

-56.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 ¥72.4K

$403 ¥63.6K

13.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥44.1K

$320 ¥50.6K

-12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 ¥171.6K

$841 ¥132.9K

29.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.8K

$663 ¥104.7K

-3.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,177 ¥659.9K

$8,665 ¥1.4M

-51.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 ¥277.2K

$1,213 ¥191.7K

44.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 ¥224.3K

$1,809 ¥285.8K

-21.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

-10.31%

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

Last update for Tsukuba: October 20, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tsukuba

$283 25.7%

Okinawa

$330 24.2% 16.5% $47

Accommodation & Living

Tsukuba

$279 25.3%

Okinawa

$320 23.5% 14.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsukuba

$188 17.1%

Okinawa

$236 17.3% 25.7% $48

Eating Out

Tsukuba

$123 11.2%

Okinawa

$178 13.1% 44.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Tsukuba

$79 7.2%

Okinawa

$95 7% 19.7% $16

Getting Around

Tsukuba

$75 6.8%

Okinawa

$93 6.8% 23.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Tsukuba

$74 6.7%

Okinawa

$112 8.2% 50.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $458 in Tsukuba versus $403 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 27% higher in Okinawa, 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 $33.00 in Tsukuba versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $330 – making Tsukuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

Same time as Tsukuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,398

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Tsukuba Okinawa 1,570 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

Tsukuba vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,654 per month in Tsukuba and $2,047 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tsukuba, 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 $33.00 in Tsukuba 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 $1,103 in Tsukuba and $1,364 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tsukuba, where all-in costs run around $1,103, than in Okinawa at $1,364. In Tsukuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tsukuba – 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 Tsukuba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.