Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalst: $2,067 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Aalst actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Austin, TX $2,663
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Austin, TX $4,133
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Austin, TX $5,603
Aalst $4,105

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 29% more expensive than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$22.53 €20.12

-7.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$106 €94.4

-19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.43 €11.99

-8.27%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.43 €3.95

27.09%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.63 €3.25

2.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.17 €2.83

-21.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.55 €4.96

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.53 €4.93

62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.31 €1.17

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.81 €2.51

33.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.13 €1.90

53.05%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.83 €3.42

8.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.39 €15.53

-25.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$11.87 €10.60

19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$22.29 €19.91

-27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.99 €2.67

44.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.43 €2.17

-39.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.67 €2.38

68.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.23 €2.88

34.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.47 €2.21

4.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.95 €1.74

20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.54 €1.37

15.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 €0.94

111.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$12.93 €11.54

-23.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.74 €7.80

72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.72 €1.54

69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.08 €1.86

66.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.09 €2.76

-51.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.86 €2.56

-4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.35 €2.10

-29.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$40.40 €36.07

-12.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.12 €1.89

-55.19%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.7K €31.0K

3.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.8K €29.3K

-17.49%

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

$229 $229

$203 €181

12.91%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$21.94 €19.59

170.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$50.8 €45.39

37.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.21 €32.33

58.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$21.03 €18.78

-22.35%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.18 €13.56

-5.93%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,605 €1,434

-6.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$33.7K €30.1K

-36.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$113 €101

-53.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$46.17 €41.23

-5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$102 €91.0

-16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$163 €146

-36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$911 €813

109.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$808 €721

57.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,384 €1,236

164.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,104 €986

129.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,162 €3,716

82.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,890 €2,581

9.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,782 €2,485

84.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.46

96.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 36.6% $467

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 11% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 23.1% $83

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 49.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 22.4% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 54.1% $32

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 84% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $106 in Aalst. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $360, with Aalst cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

78,271

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Aalst 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Aalst

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 Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Aalst differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,663 vs $2,067 including rent). Aalst is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,067 in Aalst versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aalst but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Aalst 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, Austin, TX and Aalst 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 Aalst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.