Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
130

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

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Saitama versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Saitama $1,003
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,327 in Saitama versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Saitama $1,327
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,650 in Saitama versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Saitama $1,650
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Saitama costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saitama is 26% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$20.77 $20.77

-73.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$84.6 $84.6

-62.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$12.32 $12.32

-61.04%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$5.63 $5.63

-48.13%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$3.72 $3.72

-81.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$2.50 $2.50

-76.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$8.05 $8.05

-68.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$9.01 $9.01

-64.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.12 $1.12

24.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$3.75 $3.75

-56.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$3.26 $3.26

-15.34%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$4.17 $4.17

-52.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$12.90 $12.90

-21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$14.16 $14.16

-61.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$16.22 $16.22

-12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$4.33 $4.33

29.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.46 $1.46

47.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$4.51 $4.51

-35.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$4.34 $4.34

-1.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.58 $2.58

-3.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$2.35 $2.35

-31.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.78 $1.78

-26.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$2.22 $2.22

-67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$9.88 $9.88

-60.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$15.08 $15.08

-57.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$3.46 $3.46

-41.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$1.49 $1.49

122.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.73 $2.73

18.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$1.66 $1.66

58.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$35.30 $35.30

-42.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$0.95 $0.95

15.79%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-40.53%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$27.1K $27.1K

-47.67%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$229 $229

-42.05%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$59.4 $59.4

-69.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$69.9 $69.9

-53.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$57.2 $57.2

9.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$14.28 $14.28

-22.34%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$1,506 $1,506

-57.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$21.5K $21.5K

-32.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$52.8 $52.8

-33.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$43.82 $43.82

-42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$84.8 $84.8

-35.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$103 $103

-39.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$1,907 $1,907

-78.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$1,274 $1,274

-81.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$5,121 $5,121

-69.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

6.79

-69.66%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 47.5% $130

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 447% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 95.2% $175

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 201% $236

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 1.1% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 59.9% $48

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 97.7% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $413 in Saitama and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 230% 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: $31.00 in Saitama vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $405 per month, with Saitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

14 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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 = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Saitama Austin, TX 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

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

Saitama wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Saitama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 230% 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: $413 in Saitama versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Saitama versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saitama – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,003 in Saitama versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saitama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Saitama 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, Saitama 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 Saitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.