Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Albert Lea, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN: $1,944 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Albert Lea, MN
Learn more

Albert Lea, MN Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Albert Lea, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Albert Lea, MN

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 Albert Lea, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN.

Austin, TX $2,698
Albert Lea, MN $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,969 in Albert Lea, MN.

Austin, TX $4,160
Albert Lea, MN $2,969

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,995 in Albert Lea, MN.

Austin, TX $5,622
Albert Lea, MN $3,995

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 39% more expensive than in Albert Lea, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Albert Lea, MN 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$20.02 $20.02

3.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$102 $102

-16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.92 $11.92

1.26%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$6.29 $6.29

-12.88%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.06 $3.06

24.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.56 $2.56

-3.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.88 $4.88

64.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.69 $5.69

56.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.92 $0.92

20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.93 $2.93

26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.17 $2.17

55.30%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.90 $3.90

10.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.84 $8.84

48.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$16.56 $16.56

-14.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$18.96 $18.96

-13.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.40 $5.40

-15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.50 $1.50

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.89 $4.89

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.72 $3.72

11.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.73 $2.73

-5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.22 $2.22

5.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.70 $2.70

-34.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.30 $2.30

-6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$9.92 $9.92

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.24 $15.24

-0.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.74 $1.74

62.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.39 $3.39

1.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.09 $2.09

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.95 $1.95

43.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.28 $1.28

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$20.31 $20.31

69.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

27.40%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.6K $25.6K

4.56%

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

$223 $223

$185 $185

20.58%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$53.4 $53.4

10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$79.6 $79.6

-11.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$39.66 $39.66

45.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$9.82 $9.82

45.21%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,350 $1,350

11.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.9K $11.9K

75.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$45.76 $45.76

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$24.54 $24.54

79.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$50.6 $50.6

71.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$59.6 $59.6

75.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,030 $1,030

88.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$739 $739

78.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,586 $1,586

131.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,188 $1,188

115.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,942 $2,942

149.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,028 $2,028

54.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,957 $2,957

78.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.57

3.35%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Albert Lea, MN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Albert Lea, MN

$739 38% 43.8% $577

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Albert Lea, MN

$400 20.6% 1.4% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Albert Lea, MN

$318 16.3% 9.8% $34

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Albert Lea, MN

$330 17% 5.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Albert Lea, MN

$81 4.2% 37% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Albert Lea, MN

$59 3.1% 31.2% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Albert Lea, MN

$17 * 0.9% 71.1% $41

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 79% 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 $102 in Albert Lea, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $400, with Albert Lea, MN cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Albert Lea, MN

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

17,758

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Albert Lea, MN 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Albert Lea, MN

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 Albert Lea, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Albert Lea, MN differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($2,698 vs $1,944 including rent). Albert Lea, MN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,350 in Albert Lea, MN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN – a meal for two runs $102 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Albert Lea, MN but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Albert Lea, MN 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 Albert Lea, MN 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 Albert Lea, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.