Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Carlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlow: $2,548 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,548 in Carlow.

Austin, TX $2,698
Carlow $2,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,814 in Carlow.

Austin, TX $4,160
Carlow $3,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,081 in Carlow.

Austin, TX $5,622
Carlow $5,081

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than in Carlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$21.01 €18.69

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$90.7 €80.7

-6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.10 €11.65

-7.86%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.25 €3.78

28.94%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.67 €2.37

42.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.22 €1.97

11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.41 €6.59

8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$6.54 €5.82

35.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.64 €1.46

-32.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.99 €1.77

86.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.91 €1.69

76.44%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.35 €3.87

-0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.47 €11.98

-2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$12.81 €11.39

10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.43 €12.84

13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.19 €2.84

42.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.00 €2.67

-51.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.33 €2.96

41.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.29 €2.92

26.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.37 €2.11

8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.76 €1.57

33.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.44 €1.28

22.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.33 €1.19

60.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$18.84 €16.76

-46.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$13.53 €12.04

12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$4.27 €3.80

-33.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.43 €3.05

0.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.25 €1.11

23.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.11 €4.55

-45.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.54 €1.37

3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$32.43 €28.85

5.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.09 €1.86

-55.02%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$38.6K €34.4K

-12.04%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$38.1K €33.9K

-29.78%

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

$223 $223

$243 €216

-8.35%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$22.26 €19.80

164.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$56.4 €50.2

25.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$78.8 €70.1

-26.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$56.1 €49.93

-70.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$13.59 €12.09

4.93%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,052 €936

43.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,449 €4,847

283.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$95.3 €84.8

-46.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$42.63 €37.92

3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$101 €89.8

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$102 €90.3

2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,441 €1,282

34.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,261 €1,121

4.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,596 €2,310

41.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,152 €1,914

19.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$5,664 €5,038

29.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$6,675 €5,937

-53.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,351 €2,091

124.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

69.75%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5% 4.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Carlow

$361 14.2% 11.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Carlow

$322 12.6% 8.7% $31

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Carlow

$328 12.9% 6.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Carlow

$153 6% 18.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Carlow

$106 4.2% 23% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Carlow

$18 * 0.7% 69.3% $40

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 $1,441 in Carlow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 125% 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 $91.0 in Carlow. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $361, with Carlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇪 Carlow

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

27,351

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Carlow 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Carlow

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 Carlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlow 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 Carlow the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 125% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,441 in Carlow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,052 in Carlow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Carlow – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,548 in Carlow versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Carlow but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Carlow 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 Carlow 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 Carlow 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.