Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Okayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $975 in Okayama.

Austin, TX $2,698
Okayama $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,564 in Okayama.

Austin, TX $4,160
Okayama $1,564

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,153 in Okayama.

Austin, TX $5,622
Okayama $2,153

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 177% more expensive than in Okayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Okayama is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$5.90 ¥933

249.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.92 ¥3,937

239.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.01 ¥791

140.92%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.71 ¥270

220.47%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.71 ¥111

435.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.68 ¥107

263.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.88 ¥296

328.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.92 ¥304

362.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.35 ¥214

-17.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.61 ¥96.4

509.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.11 ¥649

-18.00%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.48 ¥234

191.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$15.36 ¥2,426

-14.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.33 ¥1,000

123.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.08 ¥2,698

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.98 ¥787

-8.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.90 ¥459

-49.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.94 ¥781

-4.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.44 ¥701

-6.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.24 ¥355

15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.84 ¥291

27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.14 ¥180

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.67 ¥107

219.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.81 ¥602

165.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$9.59 ¥1,515

58.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.94 ¥306

45.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.86 ¥294

84.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.45 ¥229

6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$52.5 ¥8,300

-21.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.22 ¥509

-13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.46 ¥388

-34.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$21.52 ¥3,399

59.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.99 ¥157

-5.05%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

54.66%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

74.17%

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

$223 $223

$72.1 ¥11.4K

208.98%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$14.09 ¥2,227

318.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$25.42 ¥4,016

177.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$52.7 ¥8,321

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.33 ¥1,790

25.86%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$578 ¥91.3K

161.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

39.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$49.16 ¥7,766

4.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$35.88 ¥5,668

23.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$60.9 ¥9,628

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$97.1 ¥15.3K

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$329 ¥52.0K

489.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$192 ¥30.4K

585.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$644 ¥101.7K

469.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$428 ¥67.7K

498.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$4,159 ¥657.1K

76.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,788 ¥282.4K

75.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$1,377 ¥217.6K

283.79%

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 Okayama: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Okayama

$192 19.7% 85.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Okayama

$311 31.9% 23.4% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Okayama

$112 11.5% 68.3% $241

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Okayama

$102 10.4% 71% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Okayama

$109 11.2% 15.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Okayama

$75 7.7% 12.6% $11

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Okayama

$74 7.6% 27.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $329 in Okayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 284% 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 $25.00 in Okayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $311 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Okayama

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

03:28 3:28 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

719,474

💱 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Okayama 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Okayama

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 Okayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Okayama wins on cost – living expenses run 177% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Okayama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 284% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $329 in Okayama. 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 $975 in Okayama – a 177% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Okayama runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $975 in Okayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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 Okayama 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 Okayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.