Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tsukuba and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsukuba: $1,104 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tsukuba
Learn more

Tsukuba Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Tsukuba

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,104

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,104 in Tsukuba versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Tsukuba $1,104
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,754 in Tsukuba versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Tsukuba $1,754
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Tsukuba versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Tsukuba $2,404
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Tsukuba costs roughly 59% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tsukuba is 18% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 ¥1,024

$20.77 $20.77

-68.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.35 ¥5,269

$84.6 $84.6

-60.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.01 ¥791

$12.32 $12.32

-59.33%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ¥433

$5.63 $5.63

-51.33%

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

$1.03 ¥162

$3.72 $3.72

-72.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥118

$2.50 $2.50

-70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥347

$8.05 $8.05

-72.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ¥506

$9.01 $9.01

-64.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$1.12 $1.12

29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 ¥264

$3.75 $3.75

-55.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ¥488

$3.26 $3.26

-5.21%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$4.17 $4.17

-49.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ¥1,614

$12.90 $12.90

-20.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ¥952

$14.16 $14.16

-57.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 ¥2,267

$16.22 $16.22

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.83 ¥921

$4.33 $4.33

34.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$1.46 $1.46

93.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥443

$4.51 $4.51

-37.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$4.34 $4.34

-5.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.58 $2.58

1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$2.35 $2.35

8.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ¥134

$1.78 $1.78

-52.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$2.22 $2.22

-63.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥594

$9.88 $9.88

-61.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 ¥973

$15.08 $15.08

-59.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$3.46 $3.46

-39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥230

$1.49 $1.49

-2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.8 ¥8,337

$41.72 $41.72

26.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.73 $2.73

16.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 ¥426

$1.66 $1.66

62.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.78 ¥3,282

$35.30 $35.30

-41.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$0.95 $0.95

10.53%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-39.98%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$27.1K $27.1K

-31.73%

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

$129 ¥20.4K

$229 $229

-43.47%

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

$24.48 ¥3,868

$59.4 $59.4

-58.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,158

$69.9 $69.9

-53.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ¥8,472

$57.2 $57.2

-6.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 ¥1,955

$14.28 $14.28

-13.31%

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

$94.2 ¥14.9K

$1,506 $1,506

-93.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$21.5K $21.5K

-31.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.72 ¥7,382

$52.8 $52.8

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,888

$43.82 $43.82

-14.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.06 ¥6,013

$84.8 $84.8

-55.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.11 ¥6,495

$103 $103

-60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$466 ¥73.6K

$1,907 $1,907

-75.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 ¥44.4K

$1,274 $1,274

-77.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 ¥170.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-70.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ¥99.4K

$2,538 $2,538

-75.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,648 ¥734.4K

$7,614 $7,614

-38.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥312.8K

$3,157 $3,157

-37.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,449 ¥228.8K

$5,121 $5,121

-71.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-70.54%

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

Last update for Tsukuba: 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

Tsukuba

$285 25.8%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 41.8% $119

Accommodation & Living

Tsukuba

$281 25.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 354% $993

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tsukuba

$187 16.9%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 92% $172

Eating Out

Tsukuba

$124 11.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 185% $230

Sport & Entertainment

Tsukuba

$78 7.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 9.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Tsukuba

$75 6.8%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 22% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Tsukuba

$73 6.7%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 74.3% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $466 in Tsukuba and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 254% 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: $33.00 in Tsukuba vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $405 per month, with Tsukuba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tsukuba

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:39 7:39 PM

05:39 5:39 AM

14 h behind Tsukuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,398

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

Tsukuba Austin, TX 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tsukuba
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

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

Tsukuba wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tsukuba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 254% 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: $466 in Tsukuba 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 $1,104 per month in Tsukuba versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tsukuba runs roughly 26% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,104 in Tsukuba versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsukuba but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Tsukuba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tsukuba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,104 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tsukuba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tsukuba 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 Tsukuba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.