Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Arbon $6,920

Austin, TX is about 23% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Austin, TX and Arbon sit above the global median – Austin, TX by 97%, Arbon by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$29.53 CHF 24.33

-29.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$144 CHF 118

-41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-34.99%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-7.86%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-35.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-50.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$9.00 CHF 7.42

-10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.17 CHF 5.08

46.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-48.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.15 CHF 2.60

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-13.98%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-47.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-48.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$28.42 CHF 23.41

-50.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$41.09 CHF 33.84

-60.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.42 CHF 2.82

26.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-27.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.39 CHF 1.97

88.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-17.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.04 CHF 1.68

26.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.19 CHF 1.80

7.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.22 CHF 1.01

81.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.64 CHF 8.77

-7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-8.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.12 CHF 1.75

37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.25 CHF 1.85

53.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-69.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-56.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-58.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$36.17 CHF 29.79

-2.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-58.52%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

4.63%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-31.09%

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

$229 $229

$275 CHF 227

-16.85%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.11 CHF 31.39

55.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.4 CHF 44.78

28.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$90.0 CHF 74.1

-36.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$39.06 CHF 32.17

-58.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$23.43 CHF 19.29

-39.05%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,250 CHF 1,853

-33.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

-31.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$143 CHF 118

-63.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$65.1 CHF 53.6

-32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$143 CHF 118

-40.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$177 CHF 146

-41.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,561 CHF 1,286

22.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,521 CHF 1,253

-16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,904 CHF 2,392

26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,322 CHF 1,912

9.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

-45.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-76.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-53.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.9

257.37%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 19.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Arbon

$588 17% 45.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 2.7% $9.6

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 32% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 86% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Arbon

$137 4% 59.5% $51

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 148% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 116% higher in Arbon, 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 $144 in Arbon. 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

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

15,853

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Arbon 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Austin, TX and $5,197 in Arbon. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,663 in Austin, TX and $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 130% less in Austin, TX. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,663 in Austin, TX and $3,464 in Arbon. 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.