Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Charlottesville, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Charlottesville, VA
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Charlottesville, VA Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Charlottesville, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Charlottesville, VA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $3,027 in Charlottesville, VA.

Austin, TX $2,607
Charlottesville, VA $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $4,500 in Charlottesville, VA.

Austin, TX $4,031
Charlottesville, VA $4,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $5,973 in Charlottesville, VA.

Austin, TX $5,454
Charlottesville, VA $5,973

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 14% less than in Charlottesville, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Charlottesville, VA 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$19.93 $19.93

2.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$98.8 $98.8

-14.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$12.96 $12.96

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.49 $4.49

25.84%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.73 $2.73

34.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.95 $1.95

21.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.53 $6.53

20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$5.83 $5.83

51.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.17 $1.17

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.68 $3.68

0.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$6.50 $6.50

-49.08%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$5.06 $5.06

-17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$16.01 $16.01

-18.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$15.33 $15.33

-9.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$17.87 $17.87

-8.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$6.59 $6.59

-28.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.83 $3.83

-62.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$7.31 $7.31

-30.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$7.87 $7.87

-42.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$6.43 $6.43

-52.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$6.43 $6.43

-62.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.43 $2.43

-25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.24 $3.24

-31.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$9.71 $9.71

2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$14.67 $14.67

2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.78 $1.78

63.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.83 $3.83

-13.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.97 $3.97

-29.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.07 $2.07

-20.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$25.31 $25.31

39.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.04 $1.04

-8.65%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$31.0K $31.0K

10.34%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

4.85%

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

$223 $223

$284 $284

-21.38%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$52.3 $52.3

11.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$102 $102

-30.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$55.9 $55.9

-5.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$7.58 $7.58

120.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$16.69 $16.69

-15.76%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,418 $1,418

2.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$29.9K $29.9K

-28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$47.68 $47.68

10.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$47.97 $47.97

-10.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$93.7 $93.7

-7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$122 $122

-14.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,839 $1,839

14.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,505 $1,505

-18.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$3,189 $3,189

21.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,610 $2,610

-7.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$3,203 $3,203

131.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$2,513 $2,513

21.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$4,632 $4,632

11.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.59

3.49%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Charlottesville, VA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Charlottesville, VA

$1.5K 49.7% 22.3% $275

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Charlottesville, VA

$524 17.3% 27.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Charlottesville, VA

$438 14.5% 24.3% $86

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Charlottesville, VA

$315 10.4% 9.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Charlottesville, VA

$140 4.6% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Charlottesville, VA

$89 3% 10.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Charlottesville, VA

$14 * 0.5% 74.7% $42

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 $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $99 in Charlottesville, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $524 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Charlottesville, VA

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

43,475

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Charlottesville, VA 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Charlottesville, VA

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 Charlottesville, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Charlottesville, VA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 12% 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,839 in Charlottesville, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,418 in Charlottesville, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Austin, TX – a meal for two runs $85 versus $99 in Charlottesville, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.