Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Tsukuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,104 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
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Tsukuba Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,104 in Tsukuba.

Austin, TX $2,663
Tsukuba $1,104

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,754 in Tsukuba.

Austin, TX $4,133
Tsukuba $1,754

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,404 in Tsukuba.

Austin, TX $5,603
Tsukuba $2,404

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 141% more expensive than in Tsukuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Tsukuba is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$6.48 ¥1,024

220.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.35 ¥5,269

153.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.01 ¥791

145.91%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.74 ¥433

105.47%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.03 ¥162

261.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.74 ¥118

237.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.19 ¥347

267.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.21 ¥506

180.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 ¥229

-22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.67 ¥264

124.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.09 ¥488

5.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.09 ¥330

99.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.21 ¥1,614

26.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.03 ¥952

134.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.35 ¥2,267

13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.83 ¥921

-25.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.82 ¥445

-48.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.80 ¥443

61.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.12 ¥650

5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.63 ¥416

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.56 ¥405

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.85 ¥134

109.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.81 ¥128

174.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.76 ¥594

162.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.16 ¥973

144.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.80 ¥284

62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.11 ¥333

63.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.45 ¥230

2.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$52.8 ¥8,337

-20.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.18 ¥502

-14.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.70 ¥426

-38.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$20.78 ¥3,282

69.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.05 ¥166

-9.52%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

66.61%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.5K ¥2.9M

46.48%

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

$229 $229

$129 ¥20.4K

76.91%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.48 ¥3,868

142.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$32.65 ¥5,158

114.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$53.6 ¥8,472

6.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.38 ¥1,955

15.35%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$94.2 ¥14.9K

1499.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

45.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$46.72 ¥7,382

13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.27 ¥5,888

17.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$38.06 ¥6,013

122.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$41.11 ¥6,495

150.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$466 ¥73.6K

309.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$281 ¥44.4K

353.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,081 ¥170.7K

239.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$629 ¥99.4K

303.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,648 ¥734.4K

63.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,980 ¥312.8K

59.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,449 ¥228.8K

253.52%

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 Tsukuba: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Tsukuba

$281 25.4% 78% $993

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Tsukuba

$285 25.8% 29.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Tsukuba

$187 16.9% 47.9% $172

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Tsukuba

$124 11.3% 64.9% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Tsukuba

$73 6.7% 42.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Tsukuba

$78 7.1% 8.6% $7.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Tsukuba

$75 6.8% 28.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $466 in Tsukuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 254% 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 $33.00 in Tsukuba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $285 per month, with Tsukuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

21:18 9:18 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

230,398

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Tsukuba 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Tsukuba

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 Tsukuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tsukuba wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tsukuba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 254% 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 $466 in Tsukuba. 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 $1,104 in Tsukuba – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tsukuba runs roughly 26% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,104 in Tsukuba versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsukuba but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tsukuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tsukuba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,104 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tsukuba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.