Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Chilanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $592 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
Learn more

Chilanga Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $592 in Chilanga.

Austin, TX $2,663
Chilanga $592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $941 in Chilanga.

Austin, TX $4,133
Chilanga $941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,290 in Chilanga.

Austin, TX $5,603
Chilanga $1,290

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 350% more expensive than in Chilanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Chilanga is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.68 ZMW 113

265.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.64 ZMW 610

176.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.00 ZMW 99.5

146.40%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.86 ZMW 56.9

96.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.80 ZMW 15.85

365.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.46 ZMW 9.21

443.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

549.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.22 ZMW 44.19

305.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.72 ZMW 34.30

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.23 ZMW 24.46

204.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.14 ZMW 42.58

52.34%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.01 ZMW 39.92

107.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.58 ZMW 211

21.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.27 ZMW 125

125.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.61 ZMW 132

145.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.43 ZMW 68.3

26.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.38 ZMW 47.42

-38.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.72 ZMW 74.0

21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.54 ZMW 30.59

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.64 ZMW 52.5

-2.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.80 ZMW 35.83

30.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.11 ZMW 22.01

60.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.76 ZMW 15.11

192.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.09 ZMW 61.4

219.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.33 ZMW 205

45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.43 ZMW 28.40

104.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.37 ZMW 47.15

45.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.60 ZMW 51.8

5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.53 ZMW 30.51

8.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.22 ZMW 104

576.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 ZMW 29.91

-36.67%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$7,599 ZMW 151.1K

374.39%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.6K ZMW 549.7K

-2.05%

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

$229 $229

$82.5 ZMW 1,640

177.70%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.31 ZMW 205

476.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.4 ZMW 1,082

28.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.23 ZMW 124

129.21%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$140 ZMW 2,786

975.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.6K ZMW 330.0K

29.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$23.42 ZMW 466

125.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$15.73 ZMW 313

178.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$44.76 ZMW 890

89.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

41.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-76.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chilanga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Chilanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Chilanga

$241 40.7% 40.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Chilanga

$147 24.9% 58.9% $211

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Chilanga

$110 18.7% 68.8% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Chilanga

$71 11.9% 44.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1% 85.5% $73

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Chilanga

$10 * 1.7% 82.5% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $31.00 in Chilanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $241 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

107,051

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

ZMW to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Chilanga 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Chilanga

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 Chilanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chilanga wins on cost – living expenses run 350% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chilanga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $887 in Chilanga 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $140 in Chilanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $592 in Chilanga versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chilanga but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chilanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chilanga delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $592 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chilanga hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Chilanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 350% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.