Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Yamaguchi

For one person, living is cheaper in Yamaguchi: $1,200 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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 Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,200 in Yamaguchi.

Austin, TX $2,663
Yamaguchi $1,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,848 in Yamaguchi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Yamaguchi $1,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,496 in Yamaguchi.

Austin, TX $5,603
Yamaguchi $2,496

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 122% more expensive than in Yamaguchi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Yamaguchi is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.75 ¥593

453.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$32.14 ¥5,077

163.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.91 ¥776

150.92%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.75 ¥593

50.13%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.04 ¥164

257.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.71 ¥111

252.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.86 ¥609

108.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.17 ¥342

315.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.54 ¥244

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.82 ¥288

106.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$6.56 ¥1,037

-50.30%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.25 ¥356

85.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.95 ¥2,836

-28.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.31 ¥840

166.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$18.56 ¥2,932

-12.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.64 ¥575

18.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.82 ¥287

-19.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.88 ¥455

56.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.39 ¥535

28.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.16 ¥341

19.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.62 ¥414

-10.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.02 ¥161

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.98 ¥155

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.00 ¥633

147.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.26 ¥989

140.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.65 ¥261

76.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 ¥289

89.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.50 ¥237

-0.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$56.6 ¥8,945

-26.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.83 ¥605

-28.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.07 ¥327

-19.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$18.10 ¥2,860

95.03%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

67.32%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.1K ¥2.7M

57.87%

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

$229 $229

$215 ¥33.9K

6.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.86 ¥3,928

138.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$33.35 ¥5,269

109.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$58.0 ¥9,155

-1.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.81 ¥1,709

32.10%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$124 ¥19.6K

1114.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

77.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$48.93 ¥7,731

7.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$26.28 ¥4,151

66.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$66.7 ¥10.5K

27.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$47.51 ¥7,506

116.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$404 ¥63.8K

372.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$250 ¥39.5K

409.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$790 ¥124.8K

364.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$566 ¥89.5K

348.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,432 ¥700.2K

71.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,970 ¥311.3K

60.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.97

244.67%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Yamaguchi

$250 20.8% 80.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Yamaguchi

$315 26.2% 22.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Yamaguchi

$273 22.8% 23.8% $85

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Yamaguchi

$120 10% 66% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1% 33.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Yamaguchi

$80 6.6% 7.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Yamaguchi

$77 6.4% 30.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $404 in Yamaguchi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $32.00 in Yamaguchi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $315 per month, with Yamaguchi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🕒 Local time

07:44 7:44 AM

21:44 9:44 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

193,966

💱 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 Yamaguchi 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
Yamaguchi

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 Yamaguchi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi wins on cost – living expenses run 122% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yamaguchi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,800 in Yamaguchi 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 $404 in Yamaguchi. 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 $1,200 in Yamaguchi – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Yamaguchi runs roughly 36% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,200 in Yamaguchi versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yamaguchi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.