Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburton: $1,806 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,663 per month in Austin, TX vs $1,806 in Ashburton, rent included.

Austin, TX $2,663
Ashburton $1,806

A couple spends around $4,133 per month in Austin, TX vs $2,897 in Ashburton, rent included.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ashburton $2,897

A family of three spends $5,603 per month in Austin, TX vs $3,987 in Ashburton, rent included.

Austin, TX $5,603
Ashburton $3,987

Austin, TX costs about 47% more than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Austin, TX and Ashburton sit above the global median – Austin, TX by 97%, Ashburton by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.93 NZ$24.63

49.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$67.8 NZ$120

24.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.85 NZ$15.65

39.21%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.26 NZ$5.77

72.70%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.32 NZ$4.10

60.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.81 NZ$3.21

38.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.89 NZ$12.19

16.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.77 NZ$11.97

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.67 NZ$2.95

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.88 NZ$3.32

99.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.50 NZ$2.64

117.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.80 NZ$10.26

-28.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.48 NZ$13.23

72.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.35 NZ$16.53

51.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.55 NZ$23.96

19.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.46 NZ$4.35

76.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.98 NZ$3.51

-26.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.73 NZ$4.82

65.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.04 NZ$5.37

42.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.50 NZ$2.65

72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.46 NZ$2.59

60.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.17 NZ$3.83

-17.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.32 NZ$2.33

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$24.15 NZ$42.70

-59.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.45 NZ$14.94

78.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.52 NZ$6.23

-17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.26 NZ$7.53

-18.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.62 NZ$2.86

-8.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$74.4 NZ$132

-43.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.48 NZ$4.38

10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.66 NZ$2.93

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.91 NZ$49.35

26.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.93 NZ$3.41

-50.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.7K NZ$43.7K

45.86%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

13.21%

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

$229 $229

$156 NZ$276

46.98%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$22.75 NZ$40.23

161.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$44.32 NZ$78.4

57.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$40.15 NZ$71.0

42.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.12 NZ$19.66

28.42%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$659 NZ$1,165

128.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.9K NZ$38.8K

-2.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.9 NZ$102

-8.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.80 NZ$70.4

10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$99.6 NZ$176

-14.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$121 NZ$214

-14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,013 NZ$1,792

88.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$745 NZ$1,317

71.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,417 NZ$2,506

158.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,600 NZ$2,830

58.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,546 NZ$8,039

67.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,098 NZ$5,479

1.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.91

14.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Ashburton

$745 41.2% 41.5% $529

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Ashburton

$300 16.6% 25.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Ashburton

$223 12.3% 37.8% $135

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Ashburton

$242 13.4% 31.7% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Ashburton

$143 7.9% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Ashburton

$62 3.5% 27.3% $23

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Ashburton

$92 5.1% 56.2% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,013 in Ashburton. 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 $68.0 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $405 vs $300 – making Ashburton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

20,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ashburton 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ashburton

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 Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX, $1,806 in Ashburton – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Austin, TX and $2,710 in Ashburton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ashburton, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Austin, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Austin, TX and $68.0 in Ashburton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ashburton, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Austin, TX at $2,663. In Ashburton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ashburton – 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 Ashburton. 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.