Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,635 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,635 in Tokyo.

Austin, TX $2,704
Tokyo $1,635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,608 in Tokyo.

Austin, TX $4,133
Tokyo $2,608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,581 in Tokyo.

Austin, TX $5,562
Tokyo $3,581

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 65% more expensive than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Tokyo 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.64 ¥1,208

164.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$38.51 ¥6,094

120.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.05 ¥800

144.55%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.61 ¥571

51.52%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.62 ¥257

135.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.86 ¥135

190.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.69 ¥584

118.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.27 ¥835

70.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.53 ¥243

-26.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.76 ¥278

114.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$5.59 ¥884

-41.86%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.24 ¥354

84.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.65 ¥1,686

22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$6.60 ¥1,045

116.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.74 ¥2,649

-4.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.86 ¥769

-9.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.35 ¥371

-38.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.33 ¥685

4.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$5.28 ¥836

-20.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$3.41 ¥540

-22.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.19 ¥505

-26.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 ¥187

49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.83 ¥131

160.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.84 ¥607

155.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.27 ¥1,467

58.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.64 ¥260

69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.75 ¥434

26.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.29 ¥205

15.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$62.1 ¥9,830

-34.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.08 ¥488

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.21 ¥508

-50.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$18.41 ¥2,913

91.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.07 ¥169

-7.48%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

61.50%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

77.75%

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

$219 $219

$148 ¥23.4K

48.56%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$21.97 ¥3,476

163.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$30.43 ¥4,815

124.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$65.1 ¥10.3K

-11.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$25.55 ¥4,044

-42.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$12.87 ¥2,037

9.79%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,360 ¥215.2K

10.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

17.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$56.5 ¥8,943

-8.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$33.16 ¥5,248

32.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$64.4 ¥10.2K

32.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$71.8 ¥11.4K

46.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,275 ¥201.8K

51.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$702 ¥111.1K

81.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,565 ¥406.0K

43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,480 ¥234.3K

70.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$9,152 ¥1.4M

-16.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$4,191 ¥663.2K

-23.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,998 ¥474.4K

70.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.25

201.78%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Tokyo

$702 42.2% 44.8% $570

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Tokyo

$325 19.5% 19.3% $78

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Tokyo

$158 9.5% 54.5% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Tokyo

$200 12% 42.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Tokyo

$102 6.1% 21.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Tokyo

$91 5.5% 5.4% $4.7

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Tokyo

$86 5.2% 51.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,275 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 70% 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 $39.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $325 per month, with Tokyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

JPY to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Tokyo 10,540 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tokyo

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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tokyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 70% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,275 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,635 in Tokyo – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tokyo runs roughly 53% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,635 in Tokyo versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Tokyo but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tokyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tokyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,635 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tokyo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Tokyo 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 Tokyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.