Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Cugir

For one person, living is cheaper in Cugir: $880 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Cugir
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Cugir Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Cugir

🇷🇴 Romania

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $880 in Cugir.

Austin, TX $2,663
Cugir $880

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,301 in Cugir.

Austin, TX $4,133
Cugir $1,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,722 in Cugir.

Austin, TX $5,603
Cugir $1,722

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 203% more expensive than in Cugir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Cugir is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.83 RON 27.59

256.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$20.75 RON 98.2

307.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.42 RON 35.11

66.04%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.58 RON 7.48

256.33%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.35 RON 6.39

175.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.22 RON 5.78

104.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.50 RON 7.08

436.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.15 RON 10.19

319.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.14 RON 5.37

-1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.24 RON 5.88

202.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.77 RON 8.38

84.18%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.69 RON 12.74

55.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.32 RON 34.62

76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.95 RON 23.42

186.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.39 RON 49.16

56.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.64 RON 7.76

164.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 RON 8.11

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.70 RON 8.06

165.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.41 RON 6.69

207.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.80 RON 3.79

222.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.86 RON 4.07

173.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.20 RON 5.67

48.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.77 RON 3.63

188.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.22 RON 24.69

89.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.76 RON 27.25

161.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.18 RON 5.60

147.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.76 RON 8.32

96.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.77 RON 3.62

93.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.67 RON 103

92.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.54 RON 2.55

405.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.53 RON 2.51

213.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.27 RON 24.96

569.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 RON 6.34

-29.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.8K RON 131.7K

29.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.9K RON 117.8K

8.75%

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

$229 $229

$125 RON 590

83.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.93 RON 37.54

648.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.04 RON 33.32

893.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.90 RON 179

51.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.41 RON 96.6

-19.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.26 RON 24.91

171.48%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$159 RON 750

849.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,884 RON 18.4K

452.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$31.64 RON 150

66.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$8.18 RON 38.71

435.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$69.1 RON 327

22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$74.3 RON 352

38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$388 RON 1,834

392.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$281 RON 1,329

353.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$591 RON 2,798

519.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$452 RON 2,137

461.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,873 RON 8,860

306.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,361 RON 6,441

131.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$533 RON 2,522

860.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.35

-7.62%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cugir: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Cugir

$281 31.9% 78% $993

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Cugir

$191 21.7% 52.8% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Cugir

$140 15.9% 61% $219

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Cugir

$110 12.5% 68.9% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Cugir

$82 9.4% 35.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Cugir

$48 5.5% 43.6% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Cugir

$28 3.2% 52.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $388 in Cugir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 861% 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 $21.00 in Cugir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $191 per month, with Cugir cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Cugir

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

22:54 10:54 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

28,780

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Cugir 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Cugir

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 Cugir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cugir wins on cost – living expenses run 203% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cugir the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 861% 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 $388 in Cugir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $880 in Cugir – a 203% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cugir runs roughly 93% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $880 in Cugir versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cugir but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Cugir 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.

Expats usually find Cugir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 203% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.