Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $882 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
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Calarasi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $882 in Calarasi.

Austin, TX $2,663
Calarasi $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,363 in Calarasi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Calarasi $1,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,844 in Calarasi.

Austin, TX $5,603
Calarasi $1,844

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 202% more expensive than in Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Calarasi is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$8.90 RON 42.12

133.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.15 RON 157

155.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.57 RON 35.83

62.75%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.07 RON 9.81

171.98%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.78 RON 8.42

108.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.63 RON 7.70

53.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.59 RON 7.52

406.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.44 RON 6.79

525.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 RON 6.85

-22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.90 RON 4.24

316.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.49 RON 7.06

118.79%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.80 RON 13.26

48.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.71 RON 36.46

67.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.17 RON 19.71

239.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.28 RON 39.16

95.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.07 RON 5.06

304.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.38 RON 6.55

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.22 RON 5.80

269.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.45 RON 6.84

199.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.40 RON 1.89

545.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.65 RON 3.06

261.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.43 RON 2.05

313.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.75 RON 3.55

196.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.31 RON 29.87

56.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.11 RON 19.43

266.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.98 RON 4.64

197.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.42 RON 6.73

143.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.41 RON 1.92

263.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$12.57 RON 59.5

231.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.66 RON 3.13

313.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.62 RON 2.93

167.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.09 RON 28.82

479.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.62 RON 7.68

-41.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.2K RON 133.6K

27.69%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K RON 117.5K

9.01%

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

$229 $229

$164 RON 778

39.27%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.30 RON 29.82

842.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.51 RON 30.81

973.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.84 RON 222

22.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$51.8 RON 245

-68.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.23 RON 38.94

73.51%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$404 RON 1,913

272.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,678 RON 26.9K

277.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.6 RON 339

-26.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$21.03 RON 99.5

108.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.2 RON 432

-7.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$97.0 RON 459

6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$312 RON 1,476

511.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$190 RON 898

571.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$419 RON 1,981

775.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$325 RON 1,539

680.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,206 RON 5,706

531.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$949 RON 4,490

232.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$729 RON 3,449

602.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.85

-13.50%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Calarasi

$190 21.5% 85.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Calarasi

$164 18.6% 59.4% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Calarasi

$177 20.1% 50.5% $181

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Calarasi

$143 16.2% 59.5% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Calarasi

$126 14.3% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Calarasi

$63 7.2% 26.2% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Calarasi

$18 2% 69.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $312 in Calarasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 602% 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 $33.00 in Calarasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $164 per month, with Calarasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

65,181

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Calarasi 10,040 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calarasi wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calarasi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 602% 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 $312 in Calarasi. 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 $882 in Calarasi – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Calarasi runs roughly 232% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $882 in Calarasi versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Calarasi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Calarasi 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 Calarasi 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 Calarasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.