Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
130

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

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Ichikawa $1,167
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Ichikawa $1,876
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Ichikawa $2,585
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ichikawa is 14% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$20.77 $20.77

-75.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$84.6 $84.6

-63.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$12.32 $12.32

-65.10%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$5.63 $5.63

-60.39%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$3.72 $3.72

-80.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$2.50 $2.50

-86.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$8.05 $8.05

-68.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$9.01 $9.01

-64.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.12 $1.12

23.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$3.75 $3.75

-56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$3.26 $3.26

12.27%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$4.17 $4.17

-52.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$12.90 $12.90

-18.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$14.16 $14.16

-58.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$16.22 $16.22

-11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$4.33 $4.33

27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.46 $1.46

91.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$4.51 $4.51

-37.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$4.34 $4.34

-1.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$2.58 $2.58

1.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.35 $2.35

8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$1.78 $1.78

-28.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$2.22 $2.22

-66.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$9.88 $9.88

-62.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$15.08 $15.08

-57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$2.92 $2.92

-39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$3.46 $3.46

-41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.49 $1.49

-9.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$41.72 $41.72

43.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.73 $2.73

14.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$1.66 $1.66

64.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$35.30 $35.30

-41.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$0.95 $0.95

10.53%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-41.17%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$27.1K $27.1K

-31.57%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$229 $229

-42.43%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$59.4 $59.4

-59.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$69.9 $69.9

-54.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$57.2 $57.2

-17.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$14.28 $14.28

-10.36%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$1,506 $1,506

-57.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$21.5K $21.5K

-32.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$52.8 $52.8

17.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$43.82 $43.82

-14.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$84.8 $84.8

-28.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$103 $103

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,907 $1,907

-74.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-75.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$3,664 $3,664

-67.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$2,538 $2,538

-69.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$7,614 $7,614

-41.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$3,157 $3,157

-40.43%

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 Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 302% $957

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 41.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 90.8% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 8.7% $10

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 241% $250

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 28.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 18.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Ichikawa and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $405 per month, with Ichikawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

14 h behind Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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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Ichikawa Austin, TX 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ichikawa
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

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

Ichikawa wins on cost – living expenses run 128% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ichikawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa 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: $495 in Ichikawa 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 $1,167 per month in Ichikawa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ichikawa runs roughly 43% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa 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, Ichikawa and Austin, TX 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.