Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Crystal Lake, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,698 a month against $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Crystal Lake, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Crystal Lake, IL
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Crystal Lake, IL Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Crystal Lake, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Crystal Lake, IL

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 Crystal Lake, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL.

Austin, TX $2,698
Crystal Lake, IL $2,999

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $4,051 in Crystal Lake, IL.

Austin, TX $4,160
Crystal Lake, IL $4,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,103 in Crystal Lake, IL.

Austin, TX $5,622
Crystal Lake, IL $5,103

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 10% less than in Crystal Lake, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Crystal Lake, IL 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$19.75 $19.75

4.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$66.9 $66.9

26.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$12.93 $12.93

-6.65%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.67 $5.67

-3.35%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.07 $3.07

23.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.44 $2.44

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.10 $7.10

13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$8.04 $8.04

10.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.93 $0.93

19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.43 $3.43

8.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.34 $4.34

-22.35%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.72 $3.72

16.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$14.83 $14.83

-11.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$13.00 $13.00

8.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.90 $19.90

-17.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.64 $4.64

-1.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 $1.65

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$5.38 $5.38

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.83 $4.83

-14.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.86 $2.86

-9.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.97 $2.97

-20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.15 $2.15

-17.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.41 $2.41

-11.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.81 $10.81

-6.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.49 $15.49

-1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.67 $2.67

5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.55 $4.55

-24.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.23 $2.23

-30.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.91 $3.91

-28.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.95 $1.95

-17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$44.13 $44.13

-22.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.99 $0.99

-5.05%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$30.7K $30.7K

10.71%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.3K $26.3K

1.81%

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

$223 $223

$273 $273

-18.43%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$52.1 $52.1

13.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$81.5 $81.5

-13.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$36.73 $36.73

57.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$14.86 $14.86

-4.04%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,706 $1,706

-11.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$23.2K $23.2K

-9.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$65.1 $65.1

-21.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$51.2 $51.2

-13.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$106 $106

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$120 $120

-12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,622 $1,622

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,582 $1,582

-16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,470 $2,470

48.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$2,127 $2,127

20.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,626 $2,626

180.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,034 $2,034

53.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.69

1.49%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Crystal Lake, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Crystal Lake, IL

$1.6K 52.7% 20.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Crystal Lake, IL

$429 14.3% 5.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Crystal Lake, IL

$406 13.6% 15.4% $54

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Crystal Lake, IL

$338 11.3% 3.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Crystal Lake, IL

$154 5.1% 19.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$66 2.2% 22.9% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Crystal Lake, IL

$23 * 0.8% 61% $35

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 $1,622 in Crystal Lake, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $429, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Crystal Lake, IL

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

Same time as Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

40,269

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Crystal Lake, IL 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Crystal Lake, IL

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 Crystal Lake, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Crystal Lake, IL. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $4,498 in Crystal Lake, IL 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 $1,622 in Crystal Lake, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,706 in Crystal Lake, IL. 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 $85.0 versus $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL. 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.

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 Crystal Lake, IL 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Crystal Lake, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.