Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,215 in Nara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Nara $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,828 in Nara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Nara $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,442 in Nara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Nara $2,442

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Nara is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.40 ¥1,011

224.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.96 ¥5,049

164.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.10 ¥805

141.57%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.48 ¥392

127.02%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.30 ¥206

186.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.75 ¥119

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.10 ¥489

159.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.06 ¥483

194.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.50 ¥238

-25.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.34 ¥211

179.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.05 ¥640

-19.51%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.13 ¥336

95.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.60 ¥1,517

34.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.01 ¥1,108

102.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$17.82 ¥2,815

-8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.41 ¥539

26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.99 ¥315

-26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.01 ¥317

124.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.01 ¥633

8.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.57 ¥248

64.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.16 ¥184

102.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ¥177

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.81 ¥128

174.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.82 ¥604

158.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.49 ¥1,500

58.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.93 ¥305

51.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.13 ¥337

62.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.55 ¥245

-3.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$72.0 ¥11.4K

-42.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.23 ¥510

-15.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.83 ¥447

-41.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$15.70 ¥2,480

124.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.11 ¥175

-14.41%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

64.74%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

81.80%

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

$229 $229

$115 ¥18.2K

98.47%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.28 ¥3,836

144.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.63 ¥4,840

128.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$82.2 ¥13.0K

-30.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.44 ¥1,176

119.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.85 ¥1,872

20.51%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$511 ¥80.8K

194.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

67.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$48.43 ¥7,652

9.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.90 ¥4,882

41.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$59.5 ¥9,398

42.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$88.7 ¥14.0K

16.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$404 ¥63.8K

372.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$333 ¥52.7K

282.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$810 ¥128.0K

352.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$544 ¥86.0K

366.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,669 ¥421.6K

185.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,959 ¥309.5K

61.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,110 ¥175.3K

361.49%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Nara

$333 27.4% 73.8% $941

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Nara

$282 23.2% 30.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Nara

$170 14% 52.5% $188

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Nara

$126 10.4% 64.4% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Nara

$102 8.4% 20% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Nara

$106 8.7% 23.4% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Nara

$96 7.9% 62.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $404 in Nara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 361% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $32.00 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $282 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

355,280

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Nara 10,870 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Nara

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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara 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 Nara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 361% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $404 in Nara. 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 $1,215 in Nara – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nara runs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Nara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nara 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 Nara 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.