Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cookeville, TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Cookeville, TN: $2,393 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Cookeville, TN
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Cookeville, TN Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Cookeville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Cookeville, TN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,393 in Cookeville, TN.

Austin, TX $2,698
Cookeville, TN $2,393

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,623 in Cookeville, TN.

Austin, TX $4,160
Cookeville, TN $3,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,853 in Cookeville, TN.

Austin, TX $5,622
Cookeville, TN $4,853

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cookeville, TN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Cookeville, TN 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$21.38 $21.38

-3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$50.8 $50.8

66.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.01 $8.01

50.69%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.94 $3.94

39.09%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.66 $2.66

42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.77 $1.77

39.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.05 $5.05

59.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.57 $4.57

94.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.80 $0.80

38.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.74 $2.74

35.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$7.68 $7.68

-56.12%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.36 $3.36

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$19.40 $19.40

-32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.05 $9.05

56.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.68 $17.68

-7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$9.70 $9.70

-53.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.17 $2.17

-32.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.14 $2.14

120.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.21 $2.21

87.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.24 $2.24

15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.15 $2.15

9.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.88 $2.88

-38.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.93 $2.93

-26.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$9.08 $9.08

11.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.38 $12.38

22.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.77 $1.77

59.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$7.95 $7.95

-56.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.84 $5.84

-52.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.64 $0.64

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.80 $0.80

17.50%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$27.6K $27.6K

22.95%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$27.3K $27.3K

-2.07%

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

$223 $223

$322 $322

-30.82%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$45.81 $45.81

28.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$85.7 $85.7

-17.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$35.21 $35.21

63.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$37.96 $37.96

-56.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$14.15 $14.15

0.78%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$827 $827

82.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.50 $44.50

15.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$45.06 $45.06

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$133 $133

-34.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$140 $140

-25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,115 $1,115

74.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$986 $986

33.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,520 $2,520

45.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,987 $1,987

29.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,242 $2,242

228.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,254 $2,254

38.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.62

2.57%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cookeville, TN: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Cookeville, TN

$986 41.2% 25.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Cookeville, TN

$424 17.7% 4.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Cookeville, TN

$453 18.9% 28.7% $101

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Cookeville, TN

$294 12.3% 15.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Cookeville, TN

$163 6.8% 26.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cookeville, TN

$64 2.7% 26.3% $23

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Cookeville, TN

$9 * 0.4% 84.4% $49

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,115 in Cookeville, TN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $51.0 in Cookeville, TN. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $424, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Cookeville, TN

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

28,340

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Cookeville, TN 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cookeville, TN

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 Cookeville, TN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cookeville, TN wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cookeville, TN the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $3,590 in Cookeville, TN 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,115 in Cookeville, TN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $827 in Cookeville, TN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cookeville, TN – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,393 in Cookeville, TN versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cookeville, TN but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cookeville, TN 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 Cookeville, TN 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 Cookeville, TN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.