Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Carei

For one person, living is cheaper in Carei: $982 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $982 in Carei.

Austin, TX $2,663
Carei $982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,492 in Carei.

Austin, TX $4,133
Carei $1,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,001 in Carei.

Austin, TX $5,603
Carei $2,001

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 171% more expensive than in Carei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Carei is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.03 RON 42.71

130.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$39.88 RON 189

112.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.16 RON 33.87

72.07%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.31 RON 10.91

143.72%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.93 RON 9.11

92.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.52 RON 7.18

64.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.07 RON 9.77

288.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.54 RON 12.02

254.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.37 RON 6.49

-18.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.15 RON 5.43

226.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.41 RON 6.65

131.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.92 RON 13.83

42.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.68 RON 36.34

67.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.16 RON 29.17

129.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.69 RON 45.84

67.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.10 RON 5.21

293.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.45 RON 6.87

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.43 RON 6.75

215.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.04 RON 9.63

112.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.80 RON 3.77

222.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.79 RON 3.74

197.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 RON 4.10

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.81 RON 3.84

174.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.78 RON 27.37

70.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.38 RON 30.17

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.07 RON 5.04

172.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.59 RON 7.53

117.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.75 RON 3.56

98.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.70 RON 103

92.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.71 RON 3.34

284.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.70 RON 3.33

137.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.98 RON 33.00

405.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.81 RON 8.59

-47.51%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.5K RON 134.7K

26.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$25.5K RON 120.6K

6.17%

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

$229 $229

$138 RON 653

65.93%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.84 RON 37.11

657.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.05 RON 38.09

768.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.36 RON 177

53.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.18 RON 95.5

-19.08%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.98 RON 33.04

104.58%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$417 RON 1,971

261.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,823 RON 32.3K

214.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$60.4 RON 286

-12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.63 RON 169

22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.1 RON 360

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$83.2 RON 394

23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$384 RON 1,815

397.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$289 RON 1,367

341.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$600 RON 2,839

510.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$448 RON 2,121

466.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,878 RON 8,885

305.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,331 RON 6,297

137.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.97

-2.58%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Carei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Carei

$289 29.4% 77.3% $985

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Carei

$194 19.8% 52.1% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Carei

$154 15.7% 57% $204

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Carei

$151 15.3% 57.5% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Carei

$115 11.7% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Carei

$51 5.2% 40.2% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Carei

$29 3% 50.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $384 in Carei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $40.00 in Carei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $194 per month, with Carei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Carei

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

25,911

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Carei 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Carei

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 Carei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carei wins on cost – living expenses run 171% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Carei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,474 in Carei 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $384 in Carei. 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 $982 in Carei – a 171% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Carei runs roughly 92% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $982 in Carei versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Carei but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Carei 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 Carei 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 Carei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 171% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.