Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,450 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
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Chungju Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,450 in Chungju.

Austin, TX $2,663
Chungju $1,450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,285 in Chungju.

Austin, TX $4,133
Chungju $2,285

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,121 in Chungju.

Austin, TX $5,603
Chungju $3,121

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 84% more expensive than in Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Chungju 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.39 ₩9,829

181.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$47.62 ₩63.3K

77.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.59 ₩8,761

86.95%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.70 ₩4,915

52.16%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.81 ₩2,401

105.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.41 ₩1,870

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.82 ₩5,074

110.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.36 ₩5,797

106.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.28 ₩3,036

-50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.01 ₩4,007

24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.05 ₩4,054

6.89%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.63 ₩3,498

58.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.21 ₩14.9K

15.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.67 ₩10.2K

84.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$24.54 ₩32.6K

-33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$8.71 ₩11.6K

-50.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.59 ₩4,769

-59.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$8.12 ₩10.8K

-44.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.79 ₩7,697

-25.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$5.87 ₩7,810

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.39 ₩4,505

-30.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.76 ₩3,670

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.29 ₩1,714

72.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.35 ₩4,449

194.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-17.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.39 ₩3,180

22.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.94 ₩3,913

17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.14 ₩1,518

30.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.60 ₩4,785

-24.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.74 ₩983

124.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.81 ₩22.3K

109.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.35 ₩1,790

-29.63%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.6K ₩39.4M

21.80%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.1K ₩45.4M

-20.63%

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

$229 $229

$201 ₩266.7K

14.15%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.62 ₩35.4K

123.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$27.03 ₩35.9K

158.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$52.1 ₩69.2K

9.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.15 ₩16.2K

34.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.74 ₩15.6K

21.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$632 ₩840.9K

138.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.6K ₩28.7M

-0.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$73.4 ₩97.6K

-28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$38.03 ₩50.6K

15.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.5 ₩100.4K

12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$113 ₩150.3K

-8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$490 ₩652.0K

288.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$356 ₩473.4K

257.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,179 ₩1.6M

210.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$733 ₩974.6K

246.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,100 ₩9.4M

7.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,588 ₩7.4M

-43.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,678 ₩2.2M

205.21%

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 Chungju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Chungju

$356 24.6% 72.1% $918

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Chungju

$453 31.3% 12% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Chungju

$254 17.5% 29% $104

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Chungju

$164 11.3% 53.7% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Chungju

$135 9.3% 5.5% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Chungju

$76 5.2% 11.9% $10

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Chungju

$12 * 0.8% 79.8% $47

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 $490 in Chungju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 205% 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 $48.00 in Chungju. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $453, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

05:47 5:47 AM

14 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

208,529

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Chungju 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chungju wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chungju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 205% 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 $490 in Chungju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $632 in Chungju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chungju – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,450 in Chungju versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chungju but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chungju 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 Chungju 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 Chungju gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.