Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ichihara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
Learn more

Ichihara Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ichihara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,194 in Ichihara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Ichihara $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,963 in Ichihara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ichihara $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,731 in Ichihara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Ichihara $2,731

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 123% more expensive than in Ichihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Ichihara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.25 ¥987

232.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$41.68 ¥6,585

102.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.96 ¥784

148.39%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.45 ¥545

63.19%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.05 ¥166

254.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.74 ¥117

237.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.50 ¥395

222.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.09 ¥488

191.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.40 ¥221

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.66 ¥263

125.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.60 ¥568

-9.44%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.99 ¥315

109.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.39 ¥1,641

24.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.90 ¥933

140.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.55 ¥2,298

11.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.75 ¥908

-24.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.77 ¥438

-47.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.81 ¥445

60.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.12 ¥650

5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.59 ¥409

-0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.58 ¥408

-8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.27 ¥201

40.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.79 ¥125

181.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.87 ¥612

155.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.27 ¥991

140.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.72 ¥271

69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.00 ¥316

73.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.49 ¥236

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$53.1 ¥8,389

-21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.08 ¥486

-11.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.75 ¥435

-39.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.19 ¥3,190

74.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.11 ¥176

-14.41%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

66.76%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.4K ¥2.9M

46.78%

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

$229 $229

$129 ¥20.4K

77.26%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.13 ¥3,812

146.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$31.50 ¥4,976

121.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.03 ¥7,272

24.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.43 ¥1,964

14.88%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$632 ¥99.9K

138.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

45.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$63.2 ¥9,981

-16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$36.21 ¥5,721

21.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$61.6 ¥9,726

37.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$100 ¥15.9K

2.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$470 ¥74.2K

306.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$326 ¥51.5K

291.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,055 ¥166.7K

247.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$816 ¥128.8K

211.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,722 ¥746.0K

61.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,935 ¥305.7K

63.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.64

157.20%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Ichihara

$326 27.3% 74.4% $948

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Ichihara

$287 24.1% 29% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Ichihara

$185 15.5% 48.4% $173

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Ichihara

$132 11.1% 62.7% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Ichihara

$118 9.9% 8.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Ichihara

$71 5.9% 17.4% $15

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Ichihara

$76 6.4% 29.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $470 in Ichihara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $42.00 in Ichihara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $287 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

06:04 6:04 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

269,524

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Ichihara 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ichihara

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 Ichihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ichihara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,791 in Ichihara 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $470 in Ichihara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,194 in Ichihara – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ichihara runs roughly 27% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara 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.

Expats usually find Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.