Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Nago, Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nago, Okinawa: $1,231 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Nago, Okinawa
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Nago, Okinawa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Nago, Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Nago, Okinawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa.

Austin, TX $2,698
Nago, Okinawa $1,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,923 in Nago, Okinawa.

Austin, TX $4,160
Nago, Okinawa $1,923

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,614 in Nago, Okinawa.

Austin, TX $5,622
Nago, Okinawa $2,614

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 119% more expensive than in Nago, Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Nago, Okinawa is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$6.82 ¥1,077

202.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.35 ¥5,586

139.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.68 ¥898

112.50%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.03 ¥479

80.86%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.10 ¥173

245.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.76 ¥121

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.10 ¥332

283.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.05 ¥482

191.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.52 ¥239

-26.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.64 ¥259

126.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.67 ¥738

-27.84%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.28 ¥361

89.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.13 ¥1,601

29.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.15 ¥971

130.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$15.49 ¥2,448

5.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.36 ¥847

-15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.55 ¥402

-42.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.13 ¥652

14.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.53 ¥716

-8.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.24 ¥511

-20.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.56 ¥404

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.38 ¥217

28.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.88 ¥140

143.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.26 ¥674

137.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$6.50 ¥1,027

133.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.91 ¥302

47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.37 ¥375

45.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.58 ¥250

-2.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$56.0 ¥8,840

-26.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.43 ¥542

-18.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.87 ¥454

-44.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$21.07 ¥3,329

62.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.23 ¥194

-23.58%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$23.5K ¥3.7M

44.63%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$16.9K ¥2.7M

58.78%

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

$223 $223

$139 ¥21.9K

60.56%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$27.18 ¥4,294

116.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$34.51 ¥5,452

104.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$57.1 ¥9,012

1.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$13.97 ¥2,207

18.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$13.04 ¥2,061

9.36%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$285 ¥45.0K

430.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$43.95 ¥6,944

16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$28.96 ¥4,575

52.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$59.0 ¥9,328

47.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$92.2 ¥14.6K

13.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$461 ¥72.8K

320.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$328 ¥51.9K

300.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$878 ¥138.6K

317.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$659 ¥104.1K

289.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,826 ¥446.5K

160.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,726 ¥272.6K

81.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.81

275.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nago, Okinawa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Nago, Okinawa

$328 26.7% 75.1% $988

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Nago, Okinawa

$306 24.9% 24.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Nago, Okinawa

$200 16.3% 43.1% $152

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Nago, Okinawa

$132 10.7% 62.3% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Nago, Okinawa

$101 8.2% 21.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Nago, Okinawa

$83 6.8% 3.6% $3.1

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Nago, Okinawa

$80 6.5% 38.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $461 in Nago, Okinawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $35.00 in Nago, Okinawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $306 per month, with Nago, Okinawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Nago, Okinawa

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

21:01 9:01 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

63,554

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 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 Nago, Okinawa 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Nago, Okinawa

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 Nago, Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nago, Okinawa wins on cost – living expenses run 119% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nago, Okinawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,847 in Nago, Okinawa 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 $461 in Nago, Okinawa. 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 $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nago, Okinawa runs roughly 36% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,231 in Nago, Okinawa versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nago, Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nago, Okinawa 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 Nago, Okinawa 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 Nago, Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.