Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $835 in Assela.

Austin, TX $2,663
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,203 in Assela.

Austin, TX $4,133
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,571 in Assela.

Austin, TX $5,603
Assela $1,571

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 219% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.96 ETB 636

424.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.32 ETB 6,793

99.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.66 ETB 1,069

84.98%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$0.96 ETB 153

486.46%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.64 ETB 102

481.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.68 ETB 109

267.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.83 ETB 133

869.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.20 ETB 353

309.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.05 ETB 169

6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.17 ETB 188

220.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.22 ETB 357

46.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.78 ETB 286

134.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.18 ETB 1,152

79.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.17 ETB 1,632

39.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.17 ETB 1,471

76.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.43 ETB 871

-20.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.68 ETB 109

114.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.17 ETB 348

107.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.66 ETB 106

557.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.47 ETB 75.4

448.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.05 ETB 169

123.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.66 ETB 106

169.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.60 ETB 96.9

270.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$8.03 ETB 1,290

23.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.49 ETB 881

174.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.66 ETB 106

342.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.22 ETB 196

183.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.29 ETB 207

111.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.29 ETB 46.58

472.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.03 ETB 325

1638.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.90 ETB 144

5.56%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-33.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-52.05%

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

$229 $229

$201 ETB 32.2K

13.97%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.11 ETB 1,141

735.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$209 ETB 33.5K

-66.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.83 ETB 614

272.85%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$137 ETB 22.1K

995.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-28.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$33.25 ETB 5,337

58.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-38.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

24.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

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

18.5

-63.30%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Assela

$211 25.3% 47.7% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Assela

$417 50% 16.4% $59

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Assela

$77 9.2% 78.2% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Assela

$119 14.3% 7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.1% $78

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 95.3% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $211 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

139,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

ETB to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Assela 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 219% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Assela 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 Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.