Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Aachen: $1,931 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Aachen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Aachen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,704 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,931 in Aachen, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,704
Aachen $1,931

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $2,903 in Aachen, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Aachen $2,903

A family of three spends $5,562 per month in Austin, TX vs $3,876 in Aachen, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,562
Aachen $3,876

Austin, TX costs about 40% more than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Austin, TX and Aachen sit above the global median – Austin, TX by 102%, Aachen by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$15.98 €14.26

26.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$60.6 €54.1

40.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.44 €10.21

7.95%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.83 €3.42

42.82%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.73 €2.44

39.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.97 €2.65

-15.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.04 €4.50

59.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.78 €5.16

55.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.22 €1.08

-7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.88 €1.68

101.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.56 €3.18

-8.71%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.46 €3.09

19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$14.38 €12.84

-9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$11.45 €10.22

24.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$21.27 €18.98

-24.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.39 €3.02

29.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.32 €2.07

-37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.15 €1.92

111.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.34 €2.98

25.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.49 €1.33

76.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.51 €1.34

56.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.42 €1.26

23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.20 €1.07

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.94 €8.87

-1.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.76 €6.03

117.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.17 €1.05

137.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.66 €1.48

109.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.87 €3.45

-61.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$69.8 €62.3

-41.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$5.34 €4.77

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.63 €2.35

-39.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$36.76 €32.80

-4.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.29 €2.05

-56.77%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$33.3K €29.7K

7.49%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$39.1K €34.9K

-30.47%

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

$219 $219

$375 €335

-41.59%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$17.00 €15.17

241.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$47.36 €42.26

44.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$37.39 €33.37

54.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$27.99 €24.98

-47.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$15.48 €13.81

-8.72%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$745 €664

102.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.6K €17.5K

9.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$92.1 €82.2

-43.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$41.91 €37.40

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$82.9 €74.0

2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$132 €118

-20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$837 €747

130.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$570 €508

123.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,505 €1,343

143.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,037 €925

143.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,432 €3,955

71.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,464 €3,091

-7.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,614 €3,225

41.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.96

71.46%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Aachen

$570 29.4% 55.2% $703

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Aachen

$330 17% 18.2% $73

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Aachen

$268 13.8% 23.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Aachen

$440 22.7% 27.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Aachen

$157 8.1% 22.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Aachen

$68 3.5% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Aachen

$104 5.4% 82.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $837 in Aachen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Austin, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Austin, TX versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $330 – making Aachen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

241,683

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Austin, TX Aachen 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Aachen

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX, $1,931 in Aachen – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,055 per month in Austin, TX and $2,896 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aachen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Austin, TX and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,704 in Austin, TX and $1,931 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 40%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Aachen, where all-in costs run around $1,931, than in Austin, TX at $2,704. In Aachen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aachen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aachen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Austin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.