Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cologne

For one person, living is cheaper in Cologne: $2,189 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,189 in Cologne.

Austin, TX $2,704
Cologne $2,189

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,383 in Cologne.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cologne $3,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,578 in Cologne.

Austin, TX $5,562
Cologne $4,578

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 24% more expensive than in Cologne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Cologne 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$16.79 €14.98

20.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$85.2 €76.0

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.56 €10.32

6.83%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.15 €3.70

31.81%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.85 €3.43

-0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.23 €2.89

-22.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.59 €4.98

44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.66 €5.06

58.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.33 €1.19

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.53 €2.26

49.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.08 €2.75

5.52%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.58 €3.20

15.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.33 €11.00

6.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$12.16 €10.85

17.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$22.82 €20.37

-30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.94 €2.62

48.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.04 €1.82

-28.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.57 €2.29

76.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.97 €3.54

5.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.46 €1.30

80.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.19 €1.06

98.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.57 €1.40

12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.13 €1.01

91.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.60 €8.57

2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$6.79 €6.06

116.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.26 €1.13

120.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.77 €1.58

96.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.99 €3.56

-62.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$71.4 €63.7

-43.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$5.62 €5.01

-52.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.65 €2.37

-40.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$33.41 €29.82

5.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.33 €2.08

-57.51%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$32.9K €29.3K

8.93%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$37.7K €33.7K

-27.97%

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

$219 $219

$307 €274

-28.49%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$12.77 €11.40

354.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$37.38 €33.35

82.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$44.67 €39.86

29.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$34.39 €30.69

-56.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$15.94 €14.23

-11.36%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,077 €961

40.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.3K €19.9K

-3.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$90.9 €81.1

-43.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$40.55 €36.18

8.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$100 €89.3

-14.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$133 €119

-20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,197 €1,068

61.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$888 €793

43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,478 €2,212

48.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,629 €1,453

55.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$7,630 €6,809

-0.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$5,172 €4,616

-38.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,587 €3,201

42.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.83

77.28%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cologne: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Cologne

$888 40.1% 30.2% $384

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Cologne

$339 15.3% 16% $64

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Cologne

$286 12.9% 17.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Cologne

$357 16.1% 3.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Cologne

$164 7.4% 27.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Cologne

$77 3.5% 11.1% $9.6

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Cologne

$106 4.8% 86.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,197 in Cologne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 42% 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 $85.0 in Cologne. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $339, with Cologne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇪 Cologne

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,095,520

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cologne 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cologne

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 Cologne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cologne wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cologne the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 42% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,197 in Cologne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,189 in Cologne – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cologne runs roughly 76% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,189 in Cologne versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cologne but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cologne the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cologne delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,189 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cologne hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Cologne 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 Cologne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.