Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cairns

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairns: $2,529 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,529 in Cairns.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cairns $2,529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,731 in Cairns.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cairns $3,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,933 in Cairns.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cairns $4,933

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 7% more expensive than in Cairns, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Cairns 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$17.69 A$25.40

14.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$97.6 A$140

-12.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$12.79 A$18.37

-3.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.32 A$6.20

26.62%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.14 A$4.51

21.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.74 A$3.93

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.84 A$9.83

17.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$8.34 A$11.98

7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.94 A$2.79

-41.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.63 A$3.78

43.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.57 A$3.70

26.46%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.39 A$7.74

-23.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.17 A$13.17

42.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$13.48 A$19.36

6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$15.26 A$21.91

4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.17 A$6.00

5.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.75 A$3.95

-47.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.54 A$5.08

28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$5.65 A$8.11

-25.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.56 A$3.68

2.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.58 A$3.71

-8.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.71 A$3.89

-35.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.59 A$3.72

-16.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$43.78 A$62.9

-77.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.96 A$20.05

5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.55 A$5.10

-21.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$5.22 A$7.49

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.56 A$5.12

-58.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$15.43 A$22.16

162.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.65 A$3.81

0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.96 A$2.82

-19.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$42.21 A$60.6

-16.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.28 A$1.84

-22.66%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$31.3K A$45.0K

14.28%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$40.8K A$58.6K

-33.43%

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

$219 $219

$164 A$235

33.98%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$34.95 A$50.2

65.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$65.0 A$93.3

5.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$44.38 A$63.7

30.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$27.37 A$39.31

-45.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$13.97 A$20.07

1.15%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$2,069 A$2,972

-27.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.2K A$20.3K

51.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$89.1 A$128

-41.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$71.7 A$103

-38.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$122 A$175

-30.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$129 A$186

-18.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,466 A$2,106

31.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,223 A$1,757

4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,250 A$3,232

63.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,944 A$2,793

29.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$6,629 A$9,523

14.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$5,015 A$7,204

-36.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$4,289 A$6,160

19.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.32

7.44%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9% 3.9% $49

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cairns

$409 16.3% 1.5% $6

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cairns

$306 12.2% 12% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cairns

$264 10.5% 23.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cairns

$185 7.4% 44% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cairns

$72 2.9% 16.1% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cairns

$42 1.7% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,466 in Cairns. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 19% 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 $98.0 in Cairns for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $409 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Cairns

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

19:05 7:05 PM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

153,181

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cairns 13,460 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cairns

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 Cairns: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairns the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% 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 $1,466 in Cairns. 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 $2,529 in Cairns – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cairns runs roughly 163% 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. Cairns 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 Cairns 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 Cairns gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.