Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Fukuoka is easier to travel (1.6 vs 2.0). Biggest gap: getting around โ Fukuoka 1 vs Okinawa 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Fukuoka | Okinawa | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | similar |
| Street food1 item | ยฅ 800$5.41 | ยฅ 500$3.38 | Okinawa โ38% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ยฅ 3,500$23.6 | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | Okinawa โ14% |
| Coffeeone cup | ยฅ 500$3.38 | ยฅ 550$3.72 | Fukuoka โ9% |
| Beerone bottle | ยฅ 580$3.92 | ยฅ 600$4.05 | similar |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ยฅ 700$4.73 | ยฅ 900$6.08 | Fukuoka โ22% |
| Bottled water | ยฅ 130$0.88 | ยฅ 120$0.81 | Okinawa โ8% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ยฅ 190$1.28 | ยฅ 180$1.22 | Okinawa โ5% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ยฅ 2,000$13.5 | ยฅ 1,700$11.5 | Okinawa โ15% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | ยฅ 750$5.07 | Okinawa โ25% |
| Transitone ride | ยฅ 210$1.42 | ยฅ 260$1.76 | Fukuoka โ19% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ยฅ 2,700$18.2 | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | Fukuoka โ10% |
| Hotel night3-star | ยฅ 13,000$87.8 | ยฅ 13,000$87.8 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | ยฅ 70,000$473 | ยฅ 72,000$486 | similar |
| Laundry | ยฅ 740$5 | ยฅ 800$5.41 | Fukuoka โ8% |
| SIM card1 week data | ยฅ 2,500$16.9 | ยฅ 2,500$16.9 | similar |
| Haircutcut | ยฅ 2,500$16.9 | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | Fukuoka โ17% |
| Massage1 hour | ยฅ 4,000$27 | ยฅ 6,000$40.5 | Fukuoka โ33% |
| Half-day tourper person | ยฅ 8,000$54.1 | ยฅ 5,000$33.8 | Okinawa โ38% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | ยฅ 2,180$14.7 | Fukuoka โ54% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Fukuoka and Okinawa cost about the same. Daily budget $177 vs $168; a month $2,323 vs $2,482.
Fukuoka is easier: Fukuoka 1.6/5 vs Okinawa 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Fukuoka is about $2,323 and Okinawa about $2,482 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.