Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Himeji

For one person, living is cheaper in Himeji: $1,283 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Himeji

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Himeji actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,283 in Himeji.

Austin, TX $2,698
Himeji $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,047 in Himeji.

Austin, TX $4,160
Himeji $2,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,811 in Himeji.

Austin, TX $5,622
Himeji $2,811

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 110% more expensive than in Himeji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Himeji is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$8.46 ¥1,336

143.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.07 ¥4,909

172.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.11 ¥807

136.20%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.35 ¥371

133.19%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.24 ¥196

206.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.82 ¥129

201.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.20 ¥505

151.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.06 ¥483

190.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.56 ¥247

-28.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.48 ¥233

151.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.12 ¥650

-18.20%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.18 ¥344

98.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$15.50 ¥2,449

-15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.78 ¥1,072

108.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.88 ¥2,667

-3.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$8.37 ¥1,323

-45.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.97 ¥470

-50.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$5.06 ¥799

-6.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$7.86 ¥1,241

-47.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.90 ¥617

-33.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$4.70 ¥743

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.12 ¥177

58.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.89 ¥141

140.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.87 ¥611

160.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$9.74 ¥1,539

55.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.61 ¥412

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.10 ¥332

63.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.44 ¥228

6.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$53.0 ¥8,373

-22.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.13 ¥494

-10.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.82 ¥446

-43.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$15.45 ¥2,441

122.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.07 ¥168

-12.15%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

58.00%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

77.26%

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

$223 $223

$118 ¥18.6K

89.30%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.44 ¥3,704

151.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$31.67 ¥5,003

122.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$52.6 ¥8,314

9.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.36 ¥1,795

25.53%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$564 ¥89.1K

167.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

41.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$49.92 ¥7,886

2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$35.51 ¥5,611

24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$61.6 ¥9,739

41.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$99.2 ¥15.7K

5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$541 ¥85.4K

258.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$328 ¥51.8K

301.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,100 ¥173.8K

233.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$729 ¥115.2K

251.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$4,304 ¥680.0K

70.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,725 ¥272.5K

81.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.02

236.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Himeji

$328 25.6% 75.1% $988

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Himeji

$379 29.5% 6.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Himeji

$173 13.5% 51% $179

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Himeji

$142 11% 59.6% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Himeji

$111 8.6% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Himeji

$75 5.9% 12.6% $11

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Himeji

$76 5.9% 31.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $541 in Himeji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $31.00 in Himeji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $379 per month, with Himeji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Himeji

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

10:56 10:56 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

535,571

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

JPY to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Himeji 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
Himeji

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

Austin, TX vs Himeji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Himeji wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Himeji the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,925 in Himeji to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $541 in Himeji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,283 in Himeji – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Himeji runs roughly 29% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,283 in Himeji versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Himeji but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Himeji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Himeji are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Himeji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.