Cost of living comparison

compared to

Okinawa vs. United States Cost of Living Summary

Okinawa is 31.1% cheaper than United States overall.

Restaurants
pay 52.6% less in Okinawa
Groceries
pay 1.6% more in Okinawa
Transportation
pay 11.7% more in Okinawa
Housing
pay 54.2% less in Okinawa
Childcare
pay 75.9% less in Okinawa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 28.3% less in Okinawa
Clothing
pay 19.9% less in Okinawa

The cost of transportation and groceries in Okinawa are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Okinawa.

Okinawa vs. United States Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Okinawa instead of United States, you would:

pay 52.6% less for restaurants

 
United States
Okinawa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $19.45
 
$8.02
¥1,249
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$11.12
 
$5.78
¥900
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.56
 
$1.34
¥209

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pay 1.6% more for groceries

 
United States
Okinawa
Bread
1 loaf
$3.56
 
$2.22
¥346
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.50
 
$7.94
¥1,236
Milk (1 gallon) $3.97
 
$6.98
¥1,087

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pay 11.7% more for transportation

 
United States
Okinawa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.41
 
$4.43
¥690
Monthly public transit pass $65.85
 
$33.41
¥5,204
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,336.38
 
$22,332.63
¥3,478,419

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pay 54.2% less for housing

 
United States
Okinawa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$68.97
 
$30.74
¥4,788
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,664.59
 
$429.01
¥66,821
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,416.15
 
$384.24
¥59,847

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pay 75.9% less for childcare

 
United States
Okinawa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,387.27
 
$334.12
¥52,041
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,196.46
 
??

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pay 28.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
United States
Okinawa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.84
 
$3.34
¥520
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.15
 
$3.47
¥540
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.90
 
$4.68
¥729

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pay 19.9% less for clothing

 
United States
Okinawa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$51.08
 
$46.43
¥7,232
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.81
 
$29.70
¥4,626
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$87.56
 
$69.50
¥10,825

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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