Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Okinawa: $1,399 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
129

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

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,399 in Okinawa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Okinawa $1,399
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,189 in Okinawa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Okinawa $2,189
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,979 in Okinawa versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Okinawa $2,979
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Okinawa costs roughly 48% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Okinawa 4% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,602

$20.22 $20.22

-49.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,288

$85.0 $85.0

-53.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,112

$12.35 $12.35

-43.00%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥674

$5.47 $5.47

-22.12%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$3.82 $3.82

-61.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$2.50 $2.50

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$8.06 $8.06

-75.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥719

$8.99 $8.99

-49.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥258

$1.13 $1.13

45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥340

$3.78 $3.78

-43.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$3.25 $3.25

18.15%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$4.14 $4.14

-57.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,835

$13.08 $13.08

37.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥770

$14.31 $14.31

-65.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,503

$15.96 $15.96

38.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥572

$4.38 $4.38

-17.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.45 $1.45

81.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$4.54 $4.54

-52.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥819

$4.19 $4.19

23.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥380

$2.63 $2.63

-8.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$2.36 $2.36

9.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.76 $1.76

-25.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$2.16 $2.16

-65.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$9.81 $9.81

-59.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,015

$14.72 $14.72

-56.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.78 $2.78

-32.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥504

$3.48 $3.48

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.49 $1.49

-1.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$40.51 $40.51

65.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥627

$2.67 $2.67

48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥563

$1.58 $1.58

125.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,808

$35.29 $35.29

-67.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$0.99 $0.99

10.10%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.65%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$27.2K $27.2K

-43.31%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$219 $219

-26.15%

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

$24.91 ¥3,938

$58.0 $58.0

-57.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,503

$68.4 $68.4

-21.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$57.9 $57.9

23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,679

$14.82 $14.82

270.51%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,924

$14.13 $14.13

-13.87%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$1,509 $1,509

-78.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥875.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,913

$51.7 $51.7

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,681

$44.05 $44.05

-47.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$85.1 $85.1

-7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥14.9K

$105 $105

-10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$1,932 $1,932

-79.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$1,272 $1,272

-74.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.5K

$3,670 $3,670

-77.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥104.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-73.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$7,617 $7,617

12.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.6K

$3,199 $3,199

-62.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.3K

$5,105 $5,105

-63.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

6.79

-67.16%

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

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 22.7% $75

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 288% $944

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 43.6% $105

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 90.8% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 16% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 9.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 39.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Okinawa and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 176% 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: $40.00 in Okinawa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $403 per month, with Okinawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

00:33 12:33 AM

14 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

974,447

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Okinawa Austin, TX 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
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

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

Okinawa wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Okinawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 176% 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: $404 in Okinawa versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,399 per month in Okinawa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Okinawa runs roughly 66% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,399 in Okinawa versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Okinawa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Okinawa 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, Okinawa 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 Okinawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.