Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
129

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

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Wakayama $1,276
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Wakayama versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Wakayama $2,031
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,785 in Wakayama versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Wakayama $2,785
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Wakayama costs roughly 53% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wakayama is 6% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,022

$20.63 $20.63

-68.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 ¥4,932

$84.6 $84.6

-63.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$12.07 $12.07

-59.49%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$5.48 $5.48

-55.11%

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

$1.25 ¥197

$3.80 $3.80

-67.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$2.47 $2.47

-65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$8.05 $8.05

-60.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$8.88 $8.88

-79.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.11 $1.11

41.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$3.72 $3.72

-58.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$3.37 $3.37

26.71%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥334

$4.32 $4.32

-51.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ¥2,534

$13.13 $13.13

22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$14.15 $14.15

-50.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 ¥2,701

$16.33 $16.33

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$8.20 ¥1,296

$4.55 $4.55

80.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥478

$1.46 $1.46

106.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$4.71 $4.71

9.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.94 ¥1,255

$4.15 $4.15

91.33%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$2.58 $2.58

55.43%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 ¥726

$2.35 $2.35

95.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.77 $1.77

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$2.14 $2.14

-58.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$10.10 $10.10

-60.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$15.19 $15.19

-38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$2.82 $2.82

-11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$3.44 $3.44

-37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.54 $1.54

-2.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,496

$40.99 $40.99

31.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$2.80 $2.80

9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$1.60 $1.60

81.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.69 ¥2,478

$34.34 $34.34

-54.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$0.94 $0.94

12.77%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$34.0K $34.0K

-35.31%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$26.8K $26.8K

-43.81%

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

$117 ¥18.4K

$223 $223

-47.57%

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

$23.45 ¥3,705

$58.9 $58.9

-60.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 ¥4,968

$70.6 $70.6

-55.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,109

$57.7 $57.7

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ¥1,771

$14.26 $14.26

-21.39%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$1,511 $1,511

-62.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$20.9K $20.9K

-28.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,800

$51.3 $51.3

-3.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 ¥5,596

$44.17 $44.17

-19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 ¥9,385

$87.0 $87.0

-31.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ¥15.6K

$104 $104

-5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$1,940 $1,940

-72.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$1,316 $1,316

-74.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 ¥172.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-70.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ¥116.5K

$2,565 $2,565

-71.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,206 ¥664.5K

$7,354 $7,354

-42.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$3,129 $3,129

-43.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 ¥626.4K

$5,286 $5,286

-25.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

6.79

-75.41%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wakayama

$382 30%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 6.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$337 26.4%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 290% $979

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$172 13.5%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 105% $181

Eating Out

Wakayama

$124 9.7%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 182% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$109 8.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 18.1% $20

Getting Around

Wakayama

$77 6.1%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 25.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$74 5.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 16.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $526 in Wakayama and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 33% 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 Wakayama vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $406 per month, with Wakayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

14 h behind Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

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

Wakayama Austin, TX 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Wakayama
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

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

Wakayama wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wakayama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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: $526 in Wakayama 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 $1,276 per month in Wakayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wakayama runs roughly 31% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.