Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Biel

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,663 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Biel despite lower rent and utilities.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,826 in Biel.

Austin, TX $2,663
Biel $2,826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,452 in Biel.

Austin, TX $4,133
Biel $4,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $6,078 in Biel.

Austin, TX $5,603
Biel $6,078

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 6% less than in Biel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Biel 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-30.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$108 CHF 88.9

-21.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$18.28 CHF 15.06

-32.60%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$6.07 CHF 5.00

-7.25%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$5.17 CHF 4.26

-28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$4.13 CHF 3.40

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.77 CHF 6.40

3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.91 CHF 4.04

83.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-46.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.30 CHF 2.72

-1.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$7.19 CHF 5.92

-42.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$21.93 CHF 18.06

-41.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$27.12 CHF 22.34

-47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$38.83 CHF 31.98

-58.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.06 CHF 2.52

41.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-28.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.46 CHF 2.02

83.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.10 CHF 2.55

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.47 CHF 1.21

75.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.81 CHF 1.49

29.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.05 CHF 0.87

111.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.99 CHF 9.05

-10.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.90 CHF 12.28

1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.92 CHF 0.76

217.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.77 CHF 1.46

95.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-69.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$93.3 CHF 76.9

-55.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$7.84 CHF 6.46

-65.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-63.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$83.0 CHF 68.4

-57.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-57.21%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

-13.59%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

-22.28%

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

$229 $229

$137 CHF 113

66.62%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.74 CHF 29.43

66.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$50.2 CHF 41.30

39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$77.2 CHF 63.6

-25.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$21.92 CHF 18.05

-34.85%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,620 CHF 2,158

-42.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

-42.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$108 CHF 89.2

-51.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.74 CHF 33.56

7.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$136 CHF 112

-37.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$219 CHF 180

-52.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,240 CHF 1,022

53.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,120 CHF 922

13.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,275 CHF 1,874

61.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,035 CHF 1,676

24.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$9,683 CHF 7,975

-21.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$7,818 CHF 6,439

-59.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$5,516 CHF 4,543

-7.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.68

304.17%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Biel

$1.1K 39.6% 12.1% $154

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Biel

$538 19% 33% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Biel

$223 7.9% 37.7% $135

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Biel

$454 16.1% 28.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Biel

$227 8% 77.2% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Biel

$121 4.3% 41.1% $35

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Biel

$143 5.1% 144% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,240 in Biel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biel pays 8% 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 $108 in Biel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $538 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Biel

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

56,378

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Biel 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Biel

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 Biel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Biel. 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 8% lower in Biel. 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 $1,240 in Biel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,826 in Biel – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 124% less than in Biel. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 Biel 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 6% less than in Biel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.