Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Asheville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,050 in Asheville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Asheville, NC
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Asheville, NC Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Asheville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Asheville, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $3,050 in Asheville, NC.

Austin, TX $2,704
Asheville, NC $3,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,384 in Asheville, NC.

Austin, TX $4,133
Asheville, NC $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,717 in Asheville, NC.

Austin, TX $5,562
Asheville, NC $5,717

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 11% less than in Asheville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Asheville, NC 128% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$21.04 $21.04

-3.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$98.7 $98.7

-13.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.09 $11.09

11.36%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$5.89 $5.89

-7.13%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.47 $2.47

54.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.95 $1.95

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.99 $6.99

15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$9.30 $9.30

-3.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.19 $1.19

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$4.32 $4.32

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$4.31 $4.31

-24.59%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.95 $3.95

4.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$16.26 $16.26

-19.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$13.48 $13.48

6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$15.15 $15.15

5.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.10 $4.10

6.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.49 $1.49

-2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.15 $4.15

9.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.64 $4.64

-9.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.39 $2.39

10.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.92 $2.92

-19.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.44 $2.44

-27.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.17 $2.17

-0.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$8.15 $8.15

20.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$14.80 $14.80

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.80 $1.80

54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$5.25 $5.25

-33.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.02 $2.02

-26.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$78.4 $78.4

-48.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.47 $4.47

-40.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.15 $3.15

-49.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$34.45 $34.45

2.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.97 $0.97

2.06%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$31.7K $31.7K

12.97%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.2K $25.2K

7.71%

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

$219 $219

$181 $181

21.35%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$66.1 $66.1

-12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$104 $104

-34.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$38.03 $38.03

52.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$18.99 $18.99

-21.96%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$13.22 $13.22

6.88%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$2,602 $2,602

-42.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$53.7K $53.7K

-60.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$63.0 $63.0

-17.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$49.47 $49.47

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$105 $105

-19.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$160 $160

-34.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$2,064 $2,064

-6.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,604 $1,604

-20.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$3,153 $3,153

16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,345 $2,345

7.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,290 $4,290

77.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,205 $3,205

-0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,613 $3,613

41.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.2

9.52%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asheville, NC: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Asheville, NC

$1.6K 52.5% 26.1% $332

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Asheville, NC

$417 13.6% 3.5% $14

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Asheville, NC

$344 11.2% 1.3% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Asheville, NC

$350 11.5% 1.4% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Asheville, NC

$170 5.6% 31.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Asheville, NC

$64 2.1% 25.2% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Asheville, NC

$107 3.5% 87.2% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $2,064 in Asheville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 41% 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 $99.0 in Asheville, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $417 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Asheville, NC

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

72,789

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Asheville, NC 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Asheville, NC

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 Asheville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Asheville, NC differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,704 vs $3,050 including rent). Austin, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $2,064 in Asheville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 94% less than in Asheville, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $2,602 in Asheville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Asheville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.