Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Baerum

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $3,124 in Baerum, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
151

Cost of Living Index in Baerum
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Baerum Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Baerum

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,124

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $3,124 in Baerum.

Austin, TX $2,663
Baerum $3,124

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,846 in Baerum.

Austin, TX $4,133
Baerum $4,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $6,568 in Baerum.

Austin, TX $5,603
Baerum $6,568

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 15% less than in Baerum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Baerum 131% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$21.23 NOK 200

-2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$127 NOK 1,192

-33.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$15.70 NOK 148

-21.53%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$6.06 NOK 57.1

-7.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$4.34 NOK 40.82

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.44 NOK 32.42

-27.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$11.46 NOK 108

-29.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$12.59 NOK 119

-28.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.42 NOK 22.74

-53.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.62 NOK 34.04

3.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.60 NOK 43.27

-29.13%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.59 NOK 52.7

-25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.29 NOK 96.9

25.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$15.50 NOK 146

-8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$31.54 NOK 297

-48.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.59 NOK 24.37

67.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.03 NOK 19.15

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.14 NOK 20.12

110.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.07 NOK 38.35

6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.65 NOK 15.50

56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.81 NOK 26.49

-16.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.02 NOK 28.44

-41.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.43 NOK 22.87

-8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$19.05 NOK 179

-48.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.33 NOK 154

-7.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.41 NOK 32.06

-14.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.13 NOK 38.85

-16.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-65.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$11.97 NOK 113

-77.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.88 NOK 17.72

-11.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$69.2 NOK 651

-48.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.21 NOK 20.79

-57.01%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.3K NOK 266.8K

27.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.7K NOK 232.1K

9.80%

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

$229 $229

$335 NOK 3,149

-31.54%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$33.08 NOK 311

79.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$52.5 NOK 495

33.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$51.4 NOK 484

11.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$15.97 NOK 150

-10.58%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$233 NOK 2,194

546.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.4K NOK 144.8K

39.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$98.5 NOK 927

-46.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$58.6 NOK 551

-25.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$133 NOK 1,248

-36.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$154 NOK 1,450

-33.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,742 NOK 16.4K

9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,511 NOK 14.2K

-15.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$3,459 NOK 32.6K

5.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,913 NOK 27.4K

-12.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$10.8K NOK 101.5K

-29.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$9,916 NOK 93.3K

-68.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$5,319 NOK 50.1K

-3.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.6

47.61%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baerum: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Baerum

$1.5K 48.4% 18.6% $237

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Baerum

$468 15% 15.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Baerum

$420 13.5% 17.3% $62

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Baerum

$403 12.9% 14% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Baerum

$200 6.4% 56% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Baerum

$83 2.7% 2.9% $2.5

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Baerum

$39 * 1.2% 34.1% $20

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,742 in Baerum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baerum pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $127 in Baerum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $468 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇴 Baerum

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

18:30 6:30 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

131,136

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Baerum 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Baerum

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 Baerum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Baerum. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Baerum. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,742 in Baerum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $233 in Baerum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $127 in Baerum. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Baerum 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 17% less than in Baerum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.