Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ann Arbor, MI

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Ann Arbor, MI: $2,698 and $2,750 a month, rent and utilities included.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Ann Arbor, MI
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Ann Arbor, MI Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Ann Arbor, MI

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 Ann Arbor, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI.

Austin, TX $2,698
Ann Arbor, MI $2,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $4,198 in Ann Arbor, MI.

Austin, TX $4,160
Ann Arbor, MI $4,198

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,646 in Ann Arbor, MI.

Austin, TX $5,622
Ann Arbor, MI $5,646

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 2% less than in Ann Arbor, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Ann Arbor, MI 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$18.66 $18.66

10.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$59.3 $59.3

42.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$11.76 $11.76

2.64%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.18 $5.18

5.79%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.90 $2.90

31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.09 $2.09

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.47 $6.47

24.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$8.14 $8.14

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.99 $0.99

12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.83 $3.83

-2.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.88 $4.88

-30.94%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.82 $3.82

13.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$19.36 $19.36

-32.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$13.03 $13.03

8.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.93 $14.93

9.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$6.91 $6.91

-34.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.86 $1.86

-21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.81 $3.81

23.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.50 $4.50

-7.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.39 $2.39

7.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.85 $2.85

-17.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.52 $2.52

-29.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.02 $2.02

5.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.32 $10.32

-2.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.09 $15.09

0.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.18 $2.18

29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.79 $3.79

-9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.78 $1.78

-13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$45.62 $45.62

-10.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.93 $2.93

-4.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.51 $1.51

5.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$26.09 $26.09

31.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.06 $1.06

-11.32%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$29.6K $29.6K

14.78%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.2K $26.2K

2.12%

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

$223 $223

$201 $201

10.79%

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

$58.9 $58.9

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$73.0 $73.0

-3.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$63.2 $63.2

-8.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$19.46 $19.46

-15.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$13.22 $13.22

7.87%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,999 $1,999

-24.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$19.6K $19.6K

6.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$55.8 $55.8

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$44.52 $44.52

-0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$113 $113

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$106 $106

-1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$2,077 $2,077

-6.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,375 $1,375

-4.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$3,811 $3,811

-3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,692 $2,692

-4.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$5,516 $5,516

33.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,597 $2,597

20.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$5,148 $5,148

2.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.6

2.88%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ann Arbor, MI: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Ann Arbor, MI

$1.4K 50% 4.5% $59

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Ann Arbor, MI

$430 15.7% 6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Ann Arbor, MI

$333 12.1% 5.5% $19

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Ann Arbor, MI

$315 11.5% 9.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Ann Arbor, MI

$144 5.2% 11.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Ann Arbor, MI

$90 3.3% 4% $3.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Ann Arbor, MI

$63 2.3% 9.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $59.0 in Ann Arbor, MI. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $430, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Ann Arbor, MI

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

23:39 11:39 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

123,851

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ann Arbor, MI 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ann Arbor, MI

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 Ann Arbor, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Ann Arbor, MI differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($2,698 vs $2,750 including rent). Austin, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $2,077 in Ann Arbor, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $59.0 in Ann Arbor, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,750 in Ann Arbor, MI – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ann Arbor, MI 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Ann Arbor, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.