Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,183 in Setagaya-ku.

Austin, TX $2,663
Setagaya-ku $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,834 in Setagaya-ku.

Austin, TX $4,133
Setagaya-ku $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,484 in Setagaya-ku.

Austin, TX $5,603
Setagaya-ku $2,484

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 125% more expensive than in Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.12 ¥968

239.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$25.64 ¥4,050

229.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.36 ¥690

182.57%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.97 ¥470

89.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.04 ¥165

257.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.65 ¥102

284.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.19 ¥346

267.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.22 ¥508

179.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.23 ¥194

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.72 ¥272

118.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.64 ¥575

-10.44%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.17 ¥186

256.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.40 ¥1,643

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.11 ¥965

131.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.25 ¥2,252

13.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.59 ¥883

-22.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.74 ¥433

-46.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.95 ¥466

52.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.14 ¥654

4.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.62 ¥415

-1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.63 ¥416

-10.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.24 ¥196

43.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.56 ¥87.7

296.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.79 ¥599

160.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.26 ¥989

140.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.81 ¥287

61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.09 ¥330

65.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 ¥231

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$50.7 ¥8,012

-17.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.23 ¥510

-15.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.66 ¥421

-37.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.85 ¥3,294

69.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.10 ¥174

-13.64%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.2K ¥3.4M

69.82%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

45.88%

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

$229 $229

$131 ¥20.6K

75.28%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$23.82 ¥3,764

149.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$31.73 ¥5,013

120.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$55.0 ¥8,691

4.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.52 ¥1,820

23.96%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$636 ¥100.5K

136.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

45.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$62.3 ¥9,846

-15.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$36.37 ¥5,747

20.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$62.1 ¥9,814

36.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$102 ¥16.2K

0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$534 ¥84.4K

256.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$325 ¥51.4K

291.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,152 ¥182.0K

218.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$674 ¥106.4K

276.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,724 ¥588.4K

104.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,635 ¥258.4K

93.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

239.50%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 74.5% $949

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 30.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 48% $172

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 65.6% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 7.5% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 9% $7.7

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $534 in Setagaya-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $281 per month, with Setagaya-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

943,664

💱 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 Setagaya-ku 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Setagaya-ku wins on cost – living expenses run 125% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Setagaya-ku the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,775 in Setagaya-ku 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 $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $1,183 in Setagaya-ku – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Setagaya-ku runs roughly 22% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.