Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Buchs

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,698 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $3,009 in Buchs.

Austin, TX $2,698
Buchs $3,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $4,535 in Buchs.

Austin, TX $4,160
Buchs $4,535

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $6,062 in Buchs.

Austin, TX $5,622
Buchs $6,062

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 10% less than in Buchs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Buchs 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$23.43 CHF 19.30

-11.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$84.3 CHF 69.4

0.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$15.36 CHF 12.65

-21.42%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.71 CHF 3.88

16.35%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.77 CHF 3.10

0.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.20 CHF 2.63

-22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.13 CHF 5.04

31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$5.39 CHF 4.44

64.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-44.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.94 CHF 3.24

-5.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-27.37%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$32.21 CHF 26.53

-59.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$18.51 CHF 15.24

-23.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-49.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.53 CHF 2.91

28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-31.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.14 CHF 2.59

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$6.70 CHF 5.52

-38.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.78 CHF 1.46

44.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.54 CHF 2.10

-7.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-27.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.21 CHF 1.00

76.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.84 CHF 8.92

-6.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.70 CHF 10.46

19.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.91 CHF 3.22

-12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$5.17 CHF 4.25

-70.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.36 CHF 4.42

-47.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.46 CHF 2.85

-53.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$61.2 CHF 50.4

-43.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-57.85%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

-20.13%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-32.36%

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

$223 $223

$184 CHF 152

20.74%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$31.24 CHF 25.73

88.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$67.2 CHF 55.4

5.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$15.20 CHF 12.52

-6.18%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$611 CHF 503

147.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

1.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$107 CHF 88.0

-52.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$23.70 CHF 19.52

86.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$95.2 CHF 78.4

-8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$170 CHF 140

-38.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,828 CHF 1,505

6.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,561 CHF 1,285

-15.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,690 CHF 2,216

36.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,746 CHF 2,261

-6.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$8,480 CHF 6,984

-37.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

1.93

251.81%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9% 18.6% $244

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Buchs

$555 18.4% 36.7% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Buchs

$283 9.4% 19.7% $69

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Buchs

$359 11.9% 2.6% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Buchs

$178 5.9% 37.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Buchs

$30 * 1% 64.7% $56

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Buchs

$43 * 1.4% 25.2% $15

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,828 in Buchs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 60% 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 $84.0 in Buchs. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $555, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Buchs

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

01:25 1:25 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,187

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Buchs 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Buchs

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 Buchs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Buchs. 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 60% lower in Buchs. 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,828 in Buchs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $611 in Buchs. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85.0 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Buchs 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 12% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.