Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,538 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,538 in Changwon.

Austin, TX $2,663
Changwon $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,371 in Changwon.

Austin, TX $4,133
Changwon $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,204 in Changwon.

Austin, TX $5,603
Changwon $3,204

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 73% more expensive than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Changwon 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.54 ₩10.0K

175.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.15 ₩37.4K

200.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.24 ₩6,968

135.11%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.70 ₩4,923

52.16%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.79 ₩2,383

107.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.01 ₩1,338

147.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.03 ₩4,023

165.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.18 ₩5,563

115.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.24 ₩2,983

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.20 ₩4,254

17.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.20 ₩4,257

1.87%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.61 ₩3,476

59.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.83 ₩14.4K

19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.63 ₩14.1K

33.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$24.43 ₩32.5K

-33.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$11.09 ₩14.7K

-60.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.62 ₩4,807

-59.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$8.02 ₩10.7K

-43.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.01 ₩7,991

-27.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$5.82 ₩7,745

-55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.28 ₩4,358

-28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.82 ₩3,746

-36.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 ₩1,771

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.39 ₩4,508

191.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-19.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.34 ₩3,114

24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.35 ₩4,451

3.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.98 ₩1,300

52.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.91 ₩3,874

-6.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.78 ₩1,031

112.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.59 ₩22.1K

112.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.36 ₩1,806

-30.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

23.05%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

-18.13%

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

$229 $229

$199 ₩264.0K

15.34%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.37 ₩48.4K

63.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.52 ₩35.3K

163.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$52.5 ₩69.8K

9.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.48 ₩16.6K

30.85%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.99 ₩14.6K

29.94%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$629 ₩836.2K

139.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-2.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$106 ₩140.8K

-50.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$64.4 ₩85.6K

-31.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$92.8 ₩123.4K

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$127 ₩168.7K

-18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$543 ₩722.4K

251.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$378 ₩502.1K

237.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,240 ₩1.6M

195.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$753 ₩1.0M

237.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,598 ₩10.1M

0.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$6,197 ₩8.2M

-49.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,705 ₩2.3M

200.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.22

60.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Changwon

$378 24.6% 70.4% $896

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Changwon

$483 31.4% 19.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Changwon

$261 17% 27% $97

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Changwon

$155 10.1% 56.2% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Changwon

$175 11.4% 37.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Changwon

$74 4.8% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Changwon

$11 * 0.7% 81.8% $48

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $543 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 200% 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 $28.00 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $483, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,055,839

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

KRW to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Changwon 11,260 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changwon wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Changwon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 200% 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 $543 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $629 in Changwon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changwon – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,538 in Changwon versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changwon but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Changwon 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 Changwon 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 Changwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.