Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ube and Okinawa

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
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Ube Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index

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Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Ube $1,240
Okinawa $1,379

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

Ube $1,925
Okinawa $2,171

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

Ube $2,610
Okinawa $2,964

Ube is about 10% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ube sits 8% below the global median, while Okinawa is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.98 ¥1,106

$9.74 ¥1,543

-28.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.82 ¥5,516

$40.63 ¥6,436

-14.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ¥889

$6.87 ¥1,088

-18.34%

Cappuccino

$3.20 ¥507

$3.91 ¥619

-18.16%

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

$1.14 ¥181

$1.40 ¥222

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.93 ¥147

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ¥320

$2.61 ¥414

-22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥489

$6.02 ¥954

-48.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥240

$1.63 ¥258

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ¥249

$2.10 ¥333

-25.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 ¥760

$3.89 ¥617

23.39%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥349

$1.78 ¥282

23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 ¥1,573

$18.10 ¥2,867

-45.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.37 ¥1,009

$4.89 ¥775

30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,455

$22.24 ¥3,523

-30.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ¥832

$3.79 ¥600

38.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$2.59 ¥411

1.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 ¥629

$2.14 ¥339

85.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 ¥707

$5.18 ¥820

-13.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥524

$2.49 ¥394

32.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ¥427

$2.48 ¥392

8.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.26 ¥200

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.78 ¥123

5.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥640

$4.03 ¥638

0.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 ¥1,053

$6.40 ¥1,013

3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥312

$1.88 ¥297

4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 ¥372

$3.18 ¥503

-26.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$1.50 ¥237

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 ¥8,948

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-13.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 ¥537

$3.92 ¥620

-13.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ¥459

$3.47 ¥549

-16.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.04 ¥3,333

$11.44 ¥1,812

83.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥188

$1.05 ¥166

12.38%

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

$22.8K ¥3.6M

$21.3K ¥3.4M

7.18%

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

$17.2K ¥2.7M

$15.0K ¥2.4M

14.73%

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

$142 ¥22.5K

$162 ¥25.7K

-12.66%

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

$27.14 ¥4,299

$25.31 ¥4,010

7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.42 ¥5,453

$53.6 ¥8,494

-35.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ¥9,147

$71.8 ¥11.4K

-19.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.93 ¥2,207

$56.8 ¥9,002

-75.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.94 ¥2,049

$12.04 ¥1,908

7.48%

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

$277 ¥44.0K

$330 ¥52.2K

-15.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$5,654 ¥895.6K

139.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.73 ¥6,769

$48.74 ¥7,720

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.68 ¥4,702

$23.34 ¥3,698

27.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.0 ¥9,502

$81.3 ¥12.9K

-26.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 ¥14.4K

$98.0 ¥15.5K

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥73.2K

$407 ¥64.5K

13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.3K

$327 ¥51.7K

1.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 ¥136.2K

$825 ¥130.7K

4.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ¥102.6K

$667 ¥105.6K

-2.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,856 ¥452.4K

$8,711 ¥1.4M

-67.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,757 ¥278.3K

$1,220 ¥193.3K

43.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥287.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.81

2.23

-18.83%

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

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ube

$330 26.6%

Okinawa

$327 23.7% 1.1% $3.7

Groceries & Markets

Ube

$306 24.7%

Okinawa

$330 23.9% 7.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ube

$203 16.4%

Okinawa

$241 17.5% 18.7% $38

Eating Out

Ube

$135 10.9%

Okinawa

$180 13.1% 33.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ube

$101 8.1%

Okinawa

$113 8.2% 12.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ube

$84 6.8%

Okinawa

$96 7% 14.7% $12

Getting Around

Ube

$81 6.5%

Okinawa

$92 6.7% 14.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $462 in Ube versus $407 in Okinawa. 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 $35 in Ube versus $41 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $330 – making Ube the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ube

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

Same time as Ube

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

162,570

142,752

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ube Okinawa 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ube
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

Ube vs Okinawa: 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 $1,859 per month in Ube and $2,068 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $407 there versus $462 in Ube.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Ube and $41 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 $1,240 in Ube and $1,379 in Okinawa. 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.