Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Arad $873

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Arad $1,858

Austin, TX costs about 205% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Austin, TX sits 97% above the global median, while Arad is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.16 RON 38.63

154.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$32.35 RON 153

161.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.15 RON 33.83

72.31%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.63 RON 12.45

114.07%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.48 RON 7.00

151.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.59 RON 7.53

57.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.14 RON 10.15

276.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.48 RON 11.71

263.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.12 RON 5.32

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.22 RON 5.76

207.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.72 RON 8.16

89.53%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.57 RON 12.17

62.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.17 RON 33.94

79.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.87 RON 23.03

190.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.13 RON 47.93

60.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.60 RON 7.59

170.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 RON 8.05

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.69 RON 8.02

166.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.40 RON 6.60

210.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.76 RON 3.59

239.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.85 RON 4.04

176.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.18 RON 5.60

50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.77 RON 3.63

188.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.95 RON 28.14

66.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.73 RON 27.10

163.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 RON 5.78

139.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.78 RON 8.40

94.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.87 RON 4.11

71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$29.34 RON 139

42.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.79 RON 3.71

245.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.07 RON 5.06

55.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.40 RON 49.22

239.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.84 RON 8.72

-48.37%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.8K RON 131.8K

29.44%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

8.70%

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

$229 $229

$125 RON 590

83.68%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.19 RON 38.74

625.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.28 RON 34.42

860.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$34.12 RON 161

67.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$30.83 RON 146

-47.03%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.27 RON 24.91

170.97%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$159 RON 752

847.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,847 RON 18.2K

457.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.29 RON 200

24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$21.47 RON 102

104.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$70.9 RON 335

19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.6 RON 343

41.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$332 RON 1,571

474.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$222 RON 1,052

473.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$529 RON 2,505

592.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$412 RON 1,951

515.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,420 RON 6,719

436.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,062 RON 5,027

197.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$919 RON 4,349

457.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.35

-7.62%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Arad

$222 25.5% 82.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Arad

$188 21.5% 53.6% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Arad

$140 16% 60.9% $218

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Arad

$146 16.8% 58.7% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Arad

$93 10.7% 27.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Arad

$45 5.1% 48% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Arad

$39 4.5% 33.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $332 in Arad. 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 457% 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 $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

159,074

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Arad 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Arad

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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX costs about 205% more than Arad, 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 $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, 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 $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,663 in Austin, TX and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 205%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Austin, TX at $2,663. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arad – 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 Arad. 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.