Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $549 in Arusha, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Arusha $549

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $888 in Arusha, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Arusha $888

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,228 in Arusha, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Arusha $1,228

Austin, TX costs about 385% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Austin, TX sits 97% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.33 TZS 8,723

523.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

208.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

35.09%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.70 TZS 4,443

231.18%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.92 TZS 2,421

304.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.32 TZS 851

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.01 TZS 2,653

697.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.80 TZS 7,336

221.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.96 TZS 2,522

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.69 TZS 1,798

443.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.74 TZS 4,554

87.36%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.75 TZS 4,573

138.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.22 TZS 5,802

95.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.77 TZS 2,021

463.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.49 TZS 1,272

426.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.03 TZS 2,686

128.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.85 TZS 2,229

161.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.53 TZS 4,015

545.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.93 TZS 2,444

213.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$0.92 TZS 2,417

276.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.19 TZS 503

684.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

362.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.24 TZS 3,259

-23.39%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$229 $229

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

700.38%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

590.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

49.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

-12.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

204.48%

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

178.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$285 TZS 747.5K

568.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$234 TZS 611.7K

445.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$491 TZS 1.3M

646.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$525 TZS 1.4M

383.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 81.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 83.8% $339

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 76.6% $274

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 74.6% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 12.8% $11

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 98.7% $58

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $285 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Austin, TX versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $66.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

617,631

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

TZS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Arusha 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX, $549 in Arusha – roughly 385% 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 $823 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha. 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 $549 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 385%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Austin, TX at $2,663. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Arusha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. 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.