Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Aarau

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Aarau: $2,663 and $2,794 a month, rent and utilities included.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Aarau $6,342

Austin, TX is about 5% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Austin, TX and Aarau sit above the global median – Austin, TX by 97%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$29.07 CHF 23.94

-28.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$106 CHF 87.6

-20.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$17.63 CHF 14.52

-30.12%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.80 CHF 4.78

-2.93%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.15 CHF 5.06

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.60 CHF 5.44

36.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-45.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.62 CHF 2.98

3.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.59 CHF 2.13

25.87%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$7.22 CHF 5.95

-42.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$30.30 CHF 24.96

-57.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-51.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$40.30 CHF 33.19

-59.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.89 CHF 2.38

49.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.44 CHF 2.01

84.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.50 CHF 4.53

-21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.66 CHF 1.37

55.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.96 CHF 1.61

19.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.28 CHF 1.87

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.19 CHF 0.98

86.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.86 CHF 8.94

-9.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.21 CHF 8.41

47.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.49 CHF 2.05

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.86 CHF 2.36

20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-70.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$146 CHF 120

-71.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$6.84 CHF 5.64

-60.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$58.8 CHF 48.45

-39.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-57.21%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-16.02%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-31.08%

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

$229 $229

$120 CHF 98.9

90.67%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$30.84 CHF 25.40

92.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$55.7 CHF 45.84

25.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$97.9 CHF 80.6

-41.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-72.58%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-33.33%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-52.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-33.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$88.7 CHF 73.0

-40.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$70.6 CHF 58.2

-37.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$109 CHF 90.1

-22.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$169 CHF 140

-39.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,277 CHF 1,052

49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,033 CHF 851

23.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,290 CHF 1,886

60.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,114 CHF 1,742

20.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-73.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$6,801 CHF 5,601

-24.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.31

193.94%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Aarau

$1K 37% 18.9% $241

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Aarau

$588 21% 45.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 42.3% $152

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 24% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 54.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Aarau

$141 5% 64.1% $55

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 224% $131

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,277 in Aarau. 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 33% higher in Aarau, 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 $106 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $588 – making Austin, TX the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

21,191

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Aarau 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Aarau

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 Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 5% more than Austin, TX, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Austin, TX and $4,191 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 250% less in Austin, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,506 per month in Austin, TX and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,663 in Austin, TX and $2,794 in Aarau. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Austin, TX – 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 Austin, TX. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aarau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.