Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,698 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $3,527 in Cham.

Austin, TX $2,698
Cham $3,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $5,432 in Cham.

Austin, TX $4,160
Cham $5,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $7,337 in Cham.

Austin, TX $5,622
Cham $7,337

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 24% less than in Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Cham 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$30.40 CHF 25.04

-32.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$122 CHF 101

-30.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$18.19 CHF 14.98

-33.64%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-11.18%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-31.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-48.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.62 CHF 7.10

-6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$6.60 CHF 5.44

34.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-48.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.86 CHF 3.18

-12.69%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-40.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$26.70 CHF 21.99

-50.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$28.37 CHF 23.37

-50.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$42.48 CHF 34.98

-61.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.22 CHF 3.48

7.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-31.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.28 CHF 2.70

43.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-9.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.42 CHF 1.99

6.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.16 CHF 1.78

8.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-28.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.16 CHF 0.95

84.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-8.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.73 CHF 10.48

19.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.78 CHF 2.29

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.14 CHF 2.59

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-68.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$149 CHF 122

-72.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-47.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-44.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-59.48%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-12.94%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-31.47%

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

$223 $223

$279 CHF 230

-20.19%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$30.94 CHF 25.48

90.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$55.9 CHF 46.04

26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-36.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$49.67 CHF 40.90

-66.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$25.71 CHF 21.18

-44.54%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,791 CHF 1,475

-15.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-35.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$143 CHF 118

-64.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$58.7 CHF 48.31

-24.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$168 CHF 138

-48.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$253 CHF 208

-58.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,739 CHF 1,432

11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,475 CHF 1,214

-10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,977 CHF 2,452

23.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,600 CHF 2,142

-1.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-56.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

-76.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.07

228.02%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Cham

$1.5K 41.8% 12% $158

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Cham

$604 17.1% 48.8% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Cham

$366 10.4% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Cham

$470 13.3% 34.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Cham

$280 7.9% 117% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cham

$142 4% 64.6% $56

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Cham

$191 5.4% 229% $133

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,739 in Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $122 in Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $604 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

17,060

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cham 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Cham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $5,290 in Cham 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,739 in Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $3,527 in Cham – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 263% less than in Cham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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 Cham 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.