Most works describe him as having a platonic relationship with the daughter of a local doctor, and in actual fact, he seems to have steered clear of women from Karyukai (the geisha district), unlike Kondo and Hijikata.
町医者の娘とプラトニックな恋愛をするなどの描き方がほとんどで、実際に沖田の周囲では近藤や土方などのように花柳界の女性の影は見えない。