Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,009 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,009 in Calafat.

Austin, TX $2,663
Calafat $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,485 in Calafat.

Austin, TX $4,133
Calafat $1,485

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,961 in Calafat.

Austin, TX $5,603
Calafat $1,961

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 164% more expensive than in Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Calafat is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.28 RON 34.45

185.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$38.41 RON 182

120.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.46 RON 35.29

65.15%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.05 RON 9.69

174.63%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.50 RON 7.08

148.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.80 RON 3.80

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.02 RON 4.84

689.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.95 RON 9.21

362.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.19 RON 5.65

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.82 RON 3.89

357.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.34 RON 6.35

143.28%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.37 RON 11.20

75.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.91 RON 32.68

86.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.19 RON 29.29

128.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.14 RON 29.03

164.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.98 RON 4.62

341.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.50 RON 7.10

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.24 RON 5.89

263.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.50 RON 7.10

189.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.62 RON 2.92

316.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.72 RON 3.39

226.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.74 RON 3.51

140.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.77 RON 3.64

188.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.28 RON 25.00

87.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.37 RON 30.13

136.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.80 RON 3.79

265.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.47 RON 6.95

135.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.76 RON 3.57

96.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.28 RON 101

96.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.54 RON 2.56

405.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.52 RON 2.46

219.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.20 RON 29.34

469.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.43 RON 6.78

-33.57%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$25.9K RON 122.7K

38.98%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.7K RON 126.1K

1.56%

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

$229 $229

$217 RON 1,029

5.29%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.32 RON 34.61

711.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.42 RON 30.39

988.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.74 RON 179

51.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.94 RON 94.4

-18.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.33 RON 34.70

94.82%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$419 RON 1,983

259.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,102 RON 38.3K

164.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$61.9 RON 293

-14.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$42.75 RON 202

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$82.0 RON 388

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$84.7 RON 401

21.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$382 RON 1,808

399.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$286 RON 1,354

345.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$597 RON 2,827

513.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$445 RON 2,106

470.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,861 RON 8,807

309.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,356 RON 6,414

132.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$810 RON 3,833

532.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

13.17%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calafat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Calafat

$286 28.3% 77.5% $988

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Calafat

$167 16.5% 58.8% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Calafat

$231 22.9% 35.5% $127

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Calafat

$123 12.2% 65.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Calafat

$122 12.1% 4.6% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Calafat

$52 5.2% 38.9% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Calafat

$27 2.7% 53.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $382 in Calafat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 532% 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 $38.00 in Calafat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $167 per month, with Calafat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

18,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Calafat 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calafat wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calafat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 532% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $382 in Calafat. 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 $1,009 in Calafat – a 164% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Calafat runs roughly 96% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,009 in Calafat versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Calafat but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Calafat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Calafat 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 Calafat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.