Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,275 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Kumamoto $1,275
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,968 in Kumamoto versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Kumamoto $1,968
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,661 in Kumamoto versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Kumamoto $2,661
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Kumamoto costs roughly 52% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kumamoto is 6% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 ¥1,123

$20.77 $20.77

-65.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.31 ¥4,947

$84.6 $84.6

-62.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ¥955

$12.32 $12.32

-50.97%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥507

$5.63 $5.63

-42.98%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$3.72 $3.72

-73.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$2.50 $2.50

-69.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$8.05 $8.05

-53.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥353

$9.01 $9.01

-75.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.12 $1.12

20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥292

$3.75 $3.75

-50.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.70 ¥1,058

$3.26 $3.26

105.52%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥293

$4.17 $4.17

-55.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.45 ¥2,915

$12.90 $12.90

43.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$14.16 $14.16

-61.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 ¥2,944

$16.22 $16.22

14.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 ¥565

$4.33 $4.33

-17.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.46 $1.46

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$4.51 $4.51

-35.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$4.34 $4.34

-21.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ¥347

$2.58 $2.58

-15.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$2.35 $2.35

11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.78 $1.78

-40.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$2.22 $2.22

-55.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$9.88 $9.88

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 ¥890

$15.08 $15.08

-62.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$2.92 $2.92

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$3.46 $3.46

-45.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.49 $1.49

-8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 ¥9,037

$41.72 $41.72

37.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥608

$2.73 $2.73

41.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 ¥329

$1.66 $1.66

25.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.13 ¥2,865

$35.30 $35.30

-48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥175

$0.95 $0.95

15.79%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$36.0K $36.0K

-38.95%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$27.1K $27.1K

-34.60%

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

$207 ¥32.7K

$229 $229

-9.53%

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

$24.29 ¥3,838

$59.4 $59.4

-59.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.05 ¥5,222

$69.9 $69.9

-52.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥7,215

$57.2 $57.2

-20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 ¥1,735

$14.28 $14.28

-23.11%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$1,506 $1,506

-91.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$21.5K $21.5K

-43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.65 ¥7,685

$52.8 $52.8

-7.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.06 ¥4,118

$43.82 $43.82

-40.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥10.4K

$84.8 $84.8

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.35 ¥7,323

$103 $103

-55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥82.8K

$1,907 $1,907

-72.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.3K

$1,274 $1,274

-74.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$3,664 $3,664

-69.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 ¥114.1K

$2,538 $2,538

-71.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,521 ¥714.2K

$7,614 $7,614

-40.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,747 ¥276.0K

$3,157 $3,157

-44.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

6.79

-70.99%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$325 25.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 293% $950

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$313 24.6%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 29.1% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$265 20.8%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 35.5% $94

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 146% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 52.3% $44

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$77 6%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 23.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$68 5.3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 26.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Kumamoto and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kumamoto vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $405 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

01:45 1:45 AM

14 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kumamoto Austin, TX 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

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

Kumamoto wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kumamoto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,912 in Kumamoto 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: $524 in Kumamoto 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 $1,275 per month in Kumamoto versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 37% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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, Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.