Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ashgabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. The total is higher in Ashgabat despite lower rent and utilities.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $3,331 in Ashgabat.

Austin, TX $2,704
Ashgabat $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $5,094 in Ashgabat.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ashgabat $5,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $6,857 in Ashgabat.

Austin, TX $5,562
Ashgabat $6,857

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 19% less than in Ashgabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Ashgabat 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$31.23 TMT 105

-35.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$85.1 TMT 285

-0.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$12.65 TMT 42.39

-2.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$6.59 TMT 22.07

-17.00%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.53 TMT 5.14

149.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.82 TMT 2.74

204.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.67 TMT 18.98

42.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$13.74 TMT 46.04

-34.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$4.48 TMT 15.00

-74.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.05 TMT 6.88

84.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$5.82 TMT 19.48

-44.16%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.93 TMT 19.87

-30.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$37.90 TMT 127

-65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$20.09 TMT 67.3

-28.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$23.50 TMT 78.7

-32.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.98 TMT 16.70

-12.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$8.53 TMT 28.58

-83.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$7.32 TMT 24.52

-37.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.61 TMT 12.09

16.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.33 TMT 7.80

12.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.46 TMT 4.90

61.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.69 TMT 9.00

-34.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.12 TMT 3.74

92.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$25.56 TMT 85.6

-61.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$42.09 TMT 141

-65.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$5.26 TMT 17.62

-47.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.89 TMT 9.67

20.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.15 TMT 0.49

893.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$9.89 TMT 33.13

309.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.90 TMT 9.73

-7.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.88 TMT 2.96

79.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.41 TMT 28.17

319.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.44 TMT 1.48

125.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$44.6K TMT 149.3K

-19.65%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$57.2K TMT 191.5K

-52.45%

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

$219 $219

$580 TMT 1,944

-62.21%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$56.8 TMT 190

2.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$103 TMT 347

-33.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$191 TMT 640

-69.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$45.50 TMT 152

-67.43%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$8.53 TMT 28.58

65.65%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$23.05 TMT 77.2

6447.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.8K TMT 83.0K

-13.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$54.8 TMT 184

-5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$115 TMT 385

-61.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$365 TMT 1,224

-76.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$189 TMT 632

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,402 TMT 4,695

37.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,000 TMT 3,351

27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,288 TMT 7,663

60.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,920 TMT 6,433

31.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,527 TMT 11.8K

115.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,813 TMT 9,422

13.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$736 TMT 2,467

593.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.5

-28.53%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5% 21.4% $272

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Ashgabat

$671 19.8% 66.5% $268

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Ashgabat

$432 12.7% 24.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Ashgabat

$741 21.8% 114% $395

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Ashgabat

$326 9.6% 153% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Ashgabat

$208 6.1% 142% $122

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Ashgabat

$18 0.5% 68.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 593% 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 $85.0 in Ashgabat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $671 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

10 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

909,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.76 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

TMT to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Ashgabat 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ashgabat

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 Ashgabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Ashgabat differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,704 vs $3,331 including rent). Austin, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 593% 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 $1,402 in Ashgabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $23.05 in Ashgabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Ashgabat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.