Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamaguchi and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,202 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Yamaguchi, Japan
Okinawa, Japan
Yamaguchi
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,202
/mo nomad
Okinawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,388
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Yamaguchi vs $1,388 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Yamaguchi $1,202
  • Okinawa $1,388

A couple spends around $1,849 per month in Yamaguchi vs $2,184 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Yamaguchi $1,849
  • Okinawa $2,184

A family of three spends $2,495 per month in Yamaguchi vs $2,980 in Okinawa, rent included.

  • Yamaguchi $2,495
  • Okinawa $2,980

Yamaguchi is about 13% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yamaguchi sits 12% below the global median, while Okinawa is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.80 ¥600
$10.12 ¥1,599
-62.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.96 ¥5,050
$40.24 ¥6,357
-20.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.02 ¥793
$7.04 ¥1,112
-28.69%
Cappuccino
$3.71 ¥586
$4.11 ¥649
-9.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 ¥166
$1.40 ¥221
-25.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 ¥118
$0.92 ¥145
-18.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.88 ¥613
$2.51 ¥396
54.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 ¥349
$5.27 ¥832
-58.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥245
$1.58 ¥249
-1.90%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 ¥288
$2.05 ¥324
-10.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$6.61 ¥1,045
$3.76 ¥594
75.80%
Eggs
$2.21 ¥349
$1.84 ¥290
20.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.53 ¥2,928
$17.99 ¥2,843
3.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.28 ¥834
$4.79 ¥758
10.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.00 ¥3,002
$22.45 ¥3,548
-15.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.71 ¥587
$3.81 ¥602
-2.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.87 ¥295
$2.62 ¥413
-28.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 ¥445
$2.20 ¥347
28.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.26 ¥515
$5.26 ¥832
-38.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 ¥351
$2.39 ¥377
-7.11%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 ¥402
$2.56 ¥404
-0.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ¥171
$1.28 ¥202
-15.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ¥147
$0.77 ¥122
20.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.04 ¥638
$3.90 ¥617
3.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.20 ¥980
$6.40 ¥1,011
-3.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 ¥264
$1.95 ¥308
-14.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 ¥302
$3.34 ¥528
-42.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.48 ¥234
$1.44 ¥227
2.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.8 ¥8,021
$65.1 ¥10.3K
-22.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.00 ¥631
$3.82 ¥604
4.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.42 ¥382
$3.54 ¥559
-31.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.73 ¥2,800
$11.23 ¥1,773
57.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 ¥169
$1.11 ¥175
-3.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K ¥3.6M
$20.9K ¥3.3M
7.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.3K ¥2.4M
$15.5K ¥2.5M
-1.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 ¥33.8K
$163 ¥25.7K
31.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.94 ¥3,940
$25.35 ¥4,006
-1.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.47 ¥5,288
$53.1 ¥8,385
-36.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 ¥8,327
$73.0 ¥11.5K
-27.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$54.9 ¥8,676
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.67 ¥2,001
$11.98 ¥1,893
5.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$695 ¥109.9K
$327 ¥51.7K
112.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ¥1.9M
$5,668 ¥895.5K
113.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.71 ¥7,695
$48.88 ¥7,723
-0.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.97 ¥4,103
$23.35 ¥3,689
11.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.8 ¥10.4K
$81.2 ¥12.8K
-18.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.76 ¥7,546
$95.7 ¥15.1K
-50.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$409 ¥64.7K
$411 ¥65.0K
-0.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$256 ¥40.4K
$332 ¥52.4K
-22.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$806 ¥127.3K
$852 ¥134.6K
-5.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ¥90.4K
$678 ¥107.1K
-15.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,869 ¥769.3K
$8,422 ¥1.3M
-42.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,007 ¥317.0K
$1,185 ¥187.2K
69.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Yamaguchi
Okinawa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,798 ¥284.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.97
2.23
-11.66%

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

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Yamaguchi
$317
Okinawa
$330 3.9% $13
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yamaguchi
$272
Okinawa
$241 11.5% $31
Accommodation & Living
Yamaguchi
$256
Okinawa
$332 29.7% $76
Eating Out
Yamaguchi
$121
Okinawa
$184 51.9% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Yamaguchi
$85
Okinawa
$112 32.3% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Yamaguchi
$78
Okinawa
$97 24.3% $19
Getting Around
Yamaguchi
$73
Okinawa
$92 26.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $409 in Yamaguchi 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Yamaguchi versus $40 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $330 – making Yamaguchi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Yamaguchi
🇯🇵 Okinawa
🕒 Local time
21:28 9:28 PM
21:28 9:28 PM
Same time as Yamaguchi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
193,966
142,752
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Yamaguchi Okinawa 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Yamaguchi
  • 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
Yamaguchi vs Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yamaguchi cheaper than Okinawa?
Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 15%, 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 $1,803 per month in Yamaguchi and $2,082 in Okinawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Yamaguchi and Okinawa?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $409 in Yamaguchi and $411 in Okinawa. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Yamaguchi or in Okinawa?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Yamaguchi and $40 in Okinawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Yamaguchi and in Okinawa?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Yamaguchi and $1,388 in Okinawa. That’s a gap of about 15%.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Yamaguchi or in Okinawa?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,202 in Yamaguchi and $1,388 in Okinawa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Yamaguchi or in Okinawa?
It depends on your priorities. Okinawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Yamaguchi to $1,388 in Okinawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Yamaguchi or Okinawa?
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.

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