Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bamako

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamako: $907 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Bamako
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Bamako Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Bamako

🇲🇱 Mali

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $907 in Bamako.

Austin, TX $2,704
Bamako $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,475 in Bamako.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bamako $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,042 in Bamako.

Austin, TX $5,562
Bamako $2,042

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 198% more expensive than in Bamako, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Bamako is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$8.70 F CFA 5,086

132.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$36.22 F CFA 21.2K

134.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.09 F CFA 4,731

52.66%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.63 F CFA 955

235.58%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.95 F CFA 557

302.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.66 F CFA 383

278.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.41 F CFA 1,410

234.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$21.09 F CFA 12.3K

-57.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.93 F CFA 1,127

-41.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.90 F CFA 2,281

-3.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.84 F CFA 3,416

-29.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

-26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$15.45 F CFA 9,034

-7.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.49 F CFA 7,298

27.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.95 F CFA 2,307

10.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.03 F CFA 601

40.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.86 F CFA 1,669

58.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.15 F CFA 1,256

94.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.21 F CFA 706

117.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.14 F CFA 665

107.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.10 F CFA 59.0

1660.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.69 F CFA 1,569

-19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.56 F CFA 913

78.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.66 F CFA 973

109.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.20 F CFA 703

31.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.10 F CFA 643

-10.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

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

$27.2K $27.2K

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

$219 $219

$149 F CFA 86.9K

47.55%

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

$58.0 $58.0

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$65.8 F CFA 38.5K

3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$70.0 F CFA 40.9K

-17.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

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

$1,509 $1,509

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$174 F CFA 101.8K

1009.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$80.7 F CFA 47.2K

1475.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$509 F CFA 297.6K

620.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$297 F CFA 173.6K

750.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,227 F CFA 717.0K

160.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$266 F CFA 155.7K

1815.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bamako: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Bamako

$81 9% 93.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Bamako

$348 * 38.9% 13.7% $55

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Bamako

$174 19.5% 50% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Bamako

$214 * 24% 38% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Bamako

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Bamako

$70 * 7.8% 18.7% $16

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Bamako

$6 * 0.7% 89.4% $51

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 $174 in Bamako. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1816% 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 $36.00 in Bamako for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $348 per month, with Bamako cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇱 Bamako

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

03:41 3:41 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,809,106 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

XOF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Bamako 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bamako

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 Bamako: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bamako wins on cost – living expenses run 198% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bamako the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1816% 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 $174 in Bamako. 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 $907 in Bamako – a 198% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $907 in Bamako versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bamako but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bamako 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.

Expats usually find Bamako gentler on the wallet – expenses run 198% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.