Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $883 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $883 in Boroko.

Austin, TX $2,704
Boroko $883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,279 in Boroko.

Austin, TX $4,133
Boroko $1,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,676 in Boroko.

Austin, TX $5,562
Boroko $1,676

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 206% more expensive than in Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Boroko is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.32 PGK 32.06

176.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$34.97 PGK 153

143.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.65 PGK 24.74

118.58%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.49 PGK 10.91

119.68%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.73 PGK 3.22

423.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.68 PGK 2.99

267.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.57 PGK 11.28

213.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.60 PGK 15.78

149.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 PGK 6.60

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.20 PGK 5.27

215.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.22 PGK 5.34

166.39%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.69 PGK 16.19

12.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.91 PGK 21.53

166.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.74 PGK 25.15

149.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.51 PGK 28.52

145.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.93 PGK 17.21

11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.13 PGK 13.74

-53.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.68 PGK 11.76

69.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.67 PGK 11.69

56.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.84 PGK 12.45

-7.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.85 PGK 3.75

177.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.13 PGK 4.94

55.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.43 PGK 1.87

402.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.51 PGK 24.16

78.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.87 PGK 21.33

202.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.13 PGK 4.95

146.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.58 PGK 6.93

120.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.43 PGK 1.88

246.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$29.80 PGK 131

35.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.54 PGK 19.87

-41.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.36 PGK 5.96

16.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$11.18 PGK 48.99

215.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.79 PGK 3.47

25.32%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$20.6K PGK 90.3K

73.83%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.4K PGK 76.3K

56.13%

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

$219 $219

$62.5 PGK 274

250.89%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$22.96 PGK 101

152.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$90.5 PGK 396

-24.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$42.26 PGK 185

37.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$14.52 PGK 63.6

2.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.56 PGK 28.73

115.40%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$328 PGK 1,438

359.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,247 PGK 9,848

854.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$32.17 PGK 141

60.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$13.05 PGK 57.2

237.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$45.08 PGK 198

88.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$26.83 PGK 118

292.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$3,311 PGK 14.5K

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$225 PGK 984

466.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$3,352 PGK 14.7K

9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$224 PGK 982

1026.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$356 PGK 1,561

1333.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-38.27%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Boroko

$225 25.2% 82.4% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Boroko

$211 23.6% 47.7% $192

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Boroko

$131 14.7% 62.3% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Boroko

$176 19.7% 49.1% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Boroko

$53 5.9% 59.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Boroko

$55 6.2% 35.7% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Boroko

$43 4.8% 24.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $3,311 in Boroko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1333% 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 $35.00 in Boroko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $211 per month, with Boroko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

12:47 12:47 PM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.203 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.203 EUR).

PGK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Boroko 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Boroko

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 Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boroko wins on cost – living expenses run 206% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Boroko the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1333% 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 $3,311 in Boroko. 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 $883 in Boroko – a 206% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Boroko runs roughly 36% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Boroko 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.

Expats usually find Boroko gentler on the wallet – expenses run 206% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.