Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagano and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagano: $1,180 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index
130

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

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Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,180

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,180 in Nagano versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Nagano $1,180
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,942 in Nagano versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Nagano $1,942
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,705 in Nagano versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Nagano $2,705
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Nagano 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: Nagano is 13% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥991

$20.77 $20.77

-69.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.83 ¥6,451

$84.6 $84.6

-51.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥781

$12.32 $12.32

-59.90%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ¥533

$5.63 $5.63

-40.14%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$3.72 $3.72

-71.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$2.50 $2.50

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥388

$8.05 $8.05

-69.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$9.01 $9.01

-65.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.12 $1.12

22.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$3.75 $3.75

-54.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$3.26 $3.26

14.42%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥314

$4.17 $4.17

-52.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,608

$12.90 $12.90

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 ¥961

$14.16 $14.16

-57.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 ¥2,290

$16.22 $16.22

-10.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 ¥913

$4.33 $4.33

33.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ¥448

$1.46 $1.46

94.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$4.51 $4.51

-36.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$4.34 $4.34

-6.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$2.58 $2.58

-2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$2.35 $2.35

11.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.78 $1.78

-28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$2.22 $2.22

-63.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$9.88 $9.88

-61.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$15.08 $15.08

-57.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥274

$2.92 $2.92

-40.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.46 $3.46

-39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$1.49 $1.49

8.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 ¥7,987

$41.72 $41.72

21.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.73 $2.73

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 ¥417

$1.66 $1.66

59.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.77 ¥3,281

$35.30 $35.30

-41.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$0.95 $0.95

12.63%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-40.50%

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

$18.2K ¥2.9M

$27.1K $27.1K

-32.76%

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

$130 ¥20.5K

$229 $229

-43.21%

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

$24.11 ¥3,810

$59.4 $59.4

-59.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.46 ¥1,969

$69.9 $69.9

-82.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,361

$57.2 $57.2

-7.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 ¥1,953

$14.28 $14.28

-13.45%

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

$640 ¥101.1K

$1,506 $1,506

-57.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$21.5K $21.5K

-31.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ¥9,924

$52.8 $52.8

18.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 ¥5,838

$43.82 $43.82

-15.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 ¥9,685

$84.8 $84.8

-27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥16.4K

$103 $103

1.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.7K

$1,907 $1,907

-73.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥51.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-74.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 ¥194.6K

$3,664 $3,664

-66.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 ¥126.0K

$2,538 $2,538

-68.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 ¥706.8K

$7,614 $7,614

-41.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 ¥248.9K

$3,157 $3,157

-50.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ¥98.3K

$5,121 $5,121

-87.85%

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 Nagano: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagano

$323 27.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 294% $951

Groceries & Markets

Nagano

$289 24.5%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 40% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagano

$167 14.1%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 115% $192

Eating Out

Nagano

$131 11.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 170% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Nagano

$119 10.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 7.3% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nagano

$78 6.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 10.5% $8.1

Getting Around

Nagano

$73 6.2%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 20% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $504 in Nagano and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 723% 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: $41.00 in Nagano vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $405 per month, with Nagano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagano

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

14 h behind Nagano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,760

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Nagano Austin, TX 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nagano
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

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

Nagano wins on cost – living expenses run 126% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nagano the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 723% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $504 in Nagano 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 $1,180 per month in Nagano versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nagano runs roughly 21% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,180 in Nagano versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nagano but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nagano 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 Nagano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.