Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ballsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballsh: $1,214 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
Learn more

Ballsh Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,214 in Ballsh.

Austin, TX $2,704
Ballsh $1,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,852 in Ballsh.

Austin, TX $4,133
Ballsh $1,852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,490 in Ballsh.

Austin, TX $5,562
Ballsh $2,490

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 123% more expensive than in Ballsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Ballsh is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$9.99 ALL 813

102.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$55.1 ALL 4,482

54.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.22 ALL 587

71.05%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.33 ALL 189

134.76%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.42 ALL 116

169.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.85 ALL 69.1

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.56 ALL 290

126.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.14 ALL 337

117.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.30 ALL 187

-50.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.18 ALL 96.4

220.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.43 ALL 198

33.74%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.79 ALL 308

9.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.96 ALL 1,054

0.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.41 ALL 766

52.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$16.85 ALL 1,371

-5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.93 ALL 157

126.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.42 ALL 197

-40.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.16 ALL 176

110.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.84 ALL 149

127.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.02 ALL 82.9

157.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.31 ALL 107

80.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.44 ALL 117

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.75 ALL 61.2

188.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.72 ALL 384

107.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.52 ALL 856

39.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.59 ALL 129

74.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.01 ALL 164

73.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 ALL 38.18

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$19.41 ALL 1,579

108.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.81 ALL 310

-29.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.80 ALL 309

-58.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$18.85 ALL 1,534

87.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.28 ALL 185

-56.58%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

5.02%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.2K ALL 2.9M

-24.86%

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

$219 $219

$99.2 ALL 8,074

120.95%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$18.74 ALL 1,524

209.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$20.45 ALL 1,664

234.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$55.9 ALL 4,549

3.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.13 ALL 824

39.49%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$351 ALL 28.6K

329.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,230 ALL 669.6K

160.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$50.0 ALL 4,069

3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$48.21 ALL 3,922

-8.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$120 ALL 9,755

-29.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$113 ALL 9,212

-6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$473 ALL 38.5K

308.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$331 ALL 26.9K

284.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$721 ALL 58.7K

408.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$469 ALL 38.2K

438.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,863 ALL 151.6K

308.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,217 ALL 99.0K

162.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.39

25.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ballsh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Ballsh

$331 27.7% 74% $941

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Ballsh

$292 24.4% 27.6% $111

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Ballsh

$165 13.8% 52.7% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Ballsh

$138 11.6% 60% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Ballsh

$149 12.5% 15.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Ballsh

$76 6.4% 11.6% $10

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Ballsh

$44 3.7% 22.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $473 in Ballsh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $55.0 in Ballsh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $292 per month, with Ballsh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

06:59 6:59 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

7,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.25 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

ALL to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Ballsh 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ballsh

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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballsh wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballsh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,821 in Ballsh 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 $473 in Ballsh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,214 in Ballsh – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ballsh runs roughly 109% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,214 in Ballsh versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ballsh but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ballsh 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 Ballsh 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 Ballsh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.