Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Austin, TX $2,663
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Austin, TX $4,133
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Austin, TX $5,603
Benoni $1,589

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 148% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.19 R 168

103.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.46 R 617

125.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.86 R 96.5

110.24%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.22 R 36.61

153.60%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.19 R 19.64

212.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.85 R 14.00

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.33 R 38.33

245.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.74 R 45.15

228.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.22 R 20.16

-8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.13 R 18.65

231.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.72 R 28.33

89.53%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.46 R 40.48

69.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.31 R 137

55.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.86 R 80.1

191.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.12 R 117

127.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.73 R 28.55

150.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 R 26.81

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.80 R 29.58

150.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.56 R 25.70

178.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.12 R 18.39

130.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.22 R 20.10

92.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.23 R 20.29

44.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.27 R 20.97

74.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.37 R 55.5

193.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.09 R 83.8

196.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.51 R 24.94

93.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.95 R 32.14

77.44%

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

$0.29 R 4.72

841.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.89 R 14.67

86.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.73 R 243

139.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.54 R 25.41

-38.31%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.1K R 578.8K

2.62%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-16.62%

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

$229 $229

$203 R 3,342

12.88%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$38.42 R 633

54.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.63 R 604

90.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$18.06 R 297

216.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.10 R 117

101.13%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$246 R 4,051

512.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,577 R 91.9K

284.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.5 R 882

-1.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.40 R 534

35.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.9 R 1,515

-7.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$84.8 R 1,397

21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$398 R 6,557

379.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$296 R 4,881

330.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$487 R 8,029

651.95%

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

$2,041 R 33.6K

150.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.91

-37.76%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 76.7% $978

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 52.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 22.4% $80

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 57.3% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Benoni

$118 11% 7.6% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Benoni

$32 3% 62.4% $54

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 91.9% $54

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 $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 151% 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 $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

158,777

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Benoni 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benoni wins on cost – living expenses run 148% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Benoni the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 151% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $246 in Benoni. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Benoni – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni 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 Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.