Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichihara and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichihara: $1,194 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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Ichihara
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Ichihara Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Ichihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ichihara and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Ichihara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Ichihara $1,194
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,963 in Ichihara versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Ichihara $1,963
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,731 in Ichihara versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Ichihara $2,731
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Ichihara costs roughly 55% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.25 ¥987

$20.77 $20.77

-69.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.68 ¥6,585

$84.6 $84.6

-50.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$12.32 $12.32

-59.74%

Cappuccino

$3.45 ¥545

$5.63 $5.63

-38.72%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$3.72 $3.72

-71.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$2.50 $2.50

-70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$8.05 $8.05

-68.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$9.01 $9.01

-65.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.12 $1.12

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥263

$3.75 $3.75

-55.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ¥568

$3.26 $3.26

10.43%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$4.17 $4.17

-52.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$12.90 $12.90

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ¥933

$14.16 $14.16

-58.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 ¥2,298

$16.22 $16.22

-10.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 ¥908

$4.33 $4.33

32.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ¥438

$1.46 $1.46

89.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥445

$4.51 $4.51

-37.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$4.34 $4.34

-5.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$2.58 $2.58

0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$2.35 $2.35

9.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.78 $1.78

-28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$2.22 $2.22

-64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥612

$9.88 $9.88

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 ¥991

$15.08 $15.08

-58.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥271

$2.92 $2.92

-41.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥316

$3.46 $3.46

-42.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 ¥8,389

$41.72 $41.72

27.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$2.73 $2.73

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 ¥435

$1.66 $1.66

65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 ¥3,190

$35.30 $35.30

-42.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$0.95 $0.95

16.84%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-40.03%

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

$18.4K ¥2.9M

$27.1K $27.1K

-31.87%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$229 $229

-43.59%

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

$24.13 ¥3,812

$59.4 $59.4

-59.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ¥4,976

$69.9 $69.9

-54.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.03 ¥7,272

$57.2 $57.2

-19.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 ¥1,964

$14.28 $14.28

-12.96%

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

$632 ¥99.9K

$1,506 $1,506

-58.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$21.5K $21.5K

-31.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ¥9,981

$52.8 $52.8

19.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.21 ¥5,721

$43.82 $43.82

-17.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,726

$84.8 $84.8

-27.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ¥15.9K

$103 $103

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ¥74.2K

$1,907 $1,907

-75.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ¥51.5K

$1,274 $1,274

-74.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥166.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-71.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 ¥128.8K

$2,538 $2,538

-67.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,722 ¥746.0K

$7,614 $7,614

-37.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,935 ¥305.7K

$3,157 $3,157

-38.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

6.79

-61.12%

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

Last update for Ichihara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichihara

$326 27.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 291% $948

Groceries & Markets

Ichihara

$287 24.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 40.9% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichihara

$185 15.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 93.9% $173

Eating Out

Ichihara

$132 11.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 168% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Ichihara

$118 9.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 8.8% $10

Getting Around

Ichihara

$76 6.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 22.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ichihara

$71 5.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 21% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Ichihara and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Ichihara vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $405 per month, with Ichihara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichihara

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

17:31 5:31 PM

14 h behind Ichihara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,524

974,447

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Ichihara Austin, TX 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichihara
Austin, TX

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

Ichihara vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichihara wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ichihara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,791 in Ichihara and $3,995 in Austin, TX 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: $470 in Ichihara versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,194 per month in Ichihara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ichihara runs roughly 27% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,194 in Ichihara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ichihara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ichihara 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 Ichihara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.