Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Burnsville, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Burnsville, NC: $2,546 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Burnsville, NC
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Burnsville, NC Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Burnsville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Burnsville, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,546 in Burnsville, NC.

Austin, TX $2,698
Burnsville, NC $2,546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,784 in Burnsville, NC.

Austin, TX $4,160
Burnsville, NC $3,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,023 in Burnsville, NC.

Austin, TX $5,622
Burnsville, NC $5,023

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than in Burnsville, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Burnsville, NC 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$18.21 $18.21

13.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$75.2 $75.2

12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.94 $10.94

10.33%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.31 $5.31

3.20%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.06 $1.06

258.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.95 $0.95

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.86 $5.86

37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.58 $3.58

148.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.03 $1.03

7.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$4.00 $4.00

-7.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.18 $3.18

5.97%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.45 $4.45

-2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$16.45 $16.45

-20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$15.98 $15.98

-11.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$18.24 $18.24

-10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$5.20 $5.20

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.42 $1.42

2.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.68 $4.68

0.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.62 $4.62

-10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.81 $3.81

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.08 $3.08

-23.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.04 $2.04

-13.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.25 $2.25

-4.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$8.97 $8.97

12.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.39 $15.39

-1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.33 $2.33

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.65 $3.65

-5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.93 $1.93

-20.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.06 $3.06

-8.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.84 $1.84

-13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$29.77 $29.77

15.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.96 $0.96

-2.08%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$35.5K $35.5K

-4.41%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.2K $25.2K

6.01%

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

$223 $223

$116 $116

91.63%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$67.1 $67.1

-12.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$80.5 $80.5

-12.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$46.26 $46.26

24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$15.83 $15.83

-9.92%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,495 $1,495

1.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$25.0K $25.0K

-16.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$51.6 $51.6

-0.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$37.65 $37.65

17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$93.8 $93.8

-7.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$143 $143

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,605 $1,605

20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,307 $1,307

0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,485 $2,485

47.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,185 $2,185

17.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,851 $2,851

157.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,102 $2,102

48.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.48

4.78%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Burnsville, NC: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Burnsville, NC

$1.3K 51.3% 0.7% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Burnsville, NC

$444 17.4% 9.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Burnsville, NC

$264 10.4% 25.1% $88

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Burnsville, NC

$287 11.3% 18.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Burnsville, NC

$147 5.8% 13.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Burnsville, NC

$78 3.1% 9.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Burnsville, NC

$20 * 0.8% 65.5% $38

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 $1,605 in Burnsville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $75.0 in Burnsville, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $444, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Burnsville, NC

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

60,306

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Burnsville, NC 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Burnsville, NC

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 Burnsville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burnsville, NC wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Burnsville, NC the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $3,819 in Burnsville, NC to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,605 in Burnsville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,495 in Burnsville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Burnsville, NC – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Burnsville, NC 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 Burnsville, NC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.