Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $975 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
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Okayama Living Index
129

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

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Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$975

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $975 in Okayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Okayama $975
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,564 in Okayama versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Okayama $1,564
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,153 in Okayama versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Okayama $2,153
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Okayama costs roughly 64% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okayama is 28% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.90 ¥933

$20.63 $20.63

-71.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.92 ¥3,937

$84.6 $84.6

-70.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥791

$12.07 $12.07

-58.49%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ¥270

$5.48 $5.48

-68.80%

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

$0.71 ¥111

$3.80 $3.80

-81.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥107

$2.47 $2.47

-72.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ¥296

$8.05 $8.05

-76.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥304

$8.88 $8.88

-78.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.11 $1.11

21.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 ¥96.4

$3.72 $3.72

-83.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$3.37 $3.37

21.96%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥234

$4.32 $4.32

-65.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.36 ¥2,426

$13.13 $13.13

16.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 ¥1,000

$14.15 $14.15

-55.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 ¥2,698

$16.33 $16.33

4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ¥787

$4.55 $4.55

9.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.46 $1.46

98.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$4.71 $4.71

4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 ¥701

$4.15 $4.15

6.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ¥355

$2.58 $2.58

-13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 ¥291

$2.35 $2.35

-21.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.77 $1.77

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥107

$2.14 $2.14

-68.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$10.10 $10.10

-62.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 ¥1,515

$15.19 $15.19

-36.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.82 $2.82

-31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥294

$3.44 $3.44

-45.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.54 $1.54

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.5 ¥8,300

$40.99 $40.99

28.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.80 $2.80

15.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 ¥388

$1.60 $1.60

53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.52 ¥3,399

$34.34 $34.34

-37.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ¥157

$0.94 $0.94

5.32%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$34.0K $34.0K

-35.34%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$26.8K $26.8K

-42.59%

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

$72.1 ¥11.4K

$223 $223

-67.64%

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

$14.09 ¥2,227

$58.9 $58.9

-76.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.42 ¥4,016

$70.6 $70.6

-63.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,321

$57.7 $57.7

-8.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ¥1,790

$14.26 $14.26

-20.55%

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

$578 ¥91.3K

$1,511 $1,511

-61.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$20.9K $20.9K

-28.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.16 ¥7,766

$51.3 $51.3

-4.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 ¥5,668

$44.17 $44.17

-18.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 ¥9,628

$87.0 $87.0

-29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.1 ¥15.3K

$104 $104

-6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.0K

$1,940 $1,940

-83.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥30.4K

$1,316 $1,316

-85.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 ¥101.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-82.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 ¥67.7K

$2,565 $2,565

-83.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 ¥657.1K

$7,354 $7,354

-43.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,788 ¥282.4K

$3,129 $3,129

-42.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,377 ¥217.6K

$5,286 $5,286

-73.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

6.79

-70.25%

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

Last update for Okayama: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okayama

$311 31.9%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 30.6% $95

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$192 19.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 585% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$112 11.5%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 216% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$109 11.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 18% $20

Eating Out

Okayama

$102 10.4%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 245% $249

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 14.5% $11

Getting Around

Okayama

$74 7.6%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 21.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $329 in Okayama and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 284% 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: $25.00 in Okayama vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $406 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

14:17 2:17 PM

14 h behind Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Okayama Austin, TX 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Okayama
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

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

Okayama wins on cost – living expenses run 177% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Okayama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 284% 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: $329 in Okayama versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $975 per month in Okayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 177% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Okayama runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $975 in Okayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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, Okayama 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 Okayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.