Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
Learn more

Wakayama Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,276 in Wakayama.

Austin, TX $2,698
Wakayama $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,031 in Wakayama.

Austin, TX $4,160
Wakayama $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,785 in Wakayama.

Austin, TX $5,622
Wakayama $2,785

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 111% more expensive than in Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Wakayama is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$6.47 ¥1,022

218.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.22 ¥4,932

170.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.89 ¥773

146.83%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.46 ¥389

122.76%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.25 ¥197

204.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.86 ¥136

187.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.20 ¥506

151.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.85 ¥293

380.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.57 ¥248

-29.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.53 ¥242

143.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.27 ¥675

-21.08%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.11 ¥334

104.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$16.04 ¥2,534

-18.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$7.05 ¥1,114

100.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.10 ¥2,701

-4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$8.20 ¥1,296

-44.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.02 ¥478

-51.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$5.15 ¥814

-8.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$7.94 ¥1,255

-47.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$4.01 ¥633

-35.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$4.59 ¥726

-48.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.14 ¥179

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.88 ¥139

143.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.99 ¥630

153.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$9.33 ¥1,475

62.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.49 ¥393

13.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.15 ¥340

60.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.50 ¥236

2.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$53.8 ¥8,496

-23.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.07 ¥485

-8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.91 ¥460

-45.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$15.69 ¥2,478

118.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.06 ¥167

-11.32%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

54.59%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

77.95%

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

$223 $223

$117 ¥18.4K

90.72%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$23.45 ¥3,705

151.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$31.45 ¥4,968

124.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$51.3 ¥8,109

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.21 ¥1,771

27.21%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$564 ¥89.1K

167.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

40.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$49.37 ¥7,800

3.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$35.42 ¥5,596

24.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$59.4 ¥9,385

46.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$98.7 ¥15.6K

5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$526 ¥83.1K

269.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$337 ¥53.3K

290.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,093 ¥172.7K

235.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$738 ¥116.5K

247.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$4,206 ¥664.5K

74.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,756 ¥277.4K

78.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$3,965 ¥626.4K

33.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.67

306.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 74.4% $979

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Wakayama

$382 30% 5.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 51.3% $181

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 64.5% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 14.5% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 33.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $526 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 33% 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 $31.00 in Wakayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $382 per month, with Wakayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

07:24 7:24 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

362,163

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Wakayama 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakayama wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wakayama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $526 in Wakayama. 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 $1,276 in Wakayama – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wakayama runs roughly 31% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.