Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Austin, TX $2,704
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Austin, TX $5,562
Asmara $2,983

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 93% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Asmara 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$20.83 ERN 313

-2.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$33.92 ERN 509

150.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.04 ERN 90.7

104.47%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$0.77 ERN 11.54

610.39%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.97 ERN 14.60

293.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.02 ERN 15.28

145.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$0.62 ERN 9.30

1200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.33 ERN 35.01

39.48%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$2.98 ERN 44.76

338.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$26.73 ERN 401

-46.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.11 ERN 152

57.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$12.28 ERN 184

-64.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.32 ERN 19.79

9.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.95 ERN 29.31

132.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.14 ERN 17.05

267.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.76 ERN 26.40

49.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.95 ERN 14.26

148.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-4.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.87 ERN 178

24.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.98 ERN 14.76

183.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.02 ERN 15.27

241.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.14 ERN 2.13

964.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$8.17 ERN 123

395.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.57 ERN 8.62

177.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$9.84 ERN 148

258.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-60.71%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-46.09%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-60.52%

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

$219 $219

$25.13 ERN 377

772.54%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-15.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$202 ERN 3,031

-66.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$26.72 ERN 401

116.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$4.91 ERN 73.8

201.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$1.22 ERN 18.40

1058.20%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$24.69 ERN 371

6012.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

727.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$136 ERN 2,039

-61.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$120 ERN 1,800

-63.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$203 ERN 3,056

-58.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$152 ERN 2,276

-30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$246 ERN 3,700

684.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$199 ERN 2,988

539.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$457 ERN 6,867

702.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$432 ERN 6,488

484.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

493.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

28.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-43.42%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 84.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 9.7% $39

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 41.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 14.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 113% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 66.1% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 79.6% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $34.00 in Asmara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $364 per month, with Asmara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

ERN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Asmara 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX and Asmara differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($2,704 vs $1,402 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $2,103 in Asmara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 396% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.