Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Darwin

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,070 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Darwin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $3,070 in Darwin.

Austin, TX $2,704
Darwin $3,070

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,116 in Darwin.

Austin, TX $4,133
Darwin $4,116

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,163 in Darwin.

Austin, TX $5,562
Darwin $5,163

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Darwin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Darwin 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$22.53 A$32.37

-10.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$90.0 A$129

-5.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.96 A$15.75

12.68%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.07 A$5.84

34.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.31 A$4.76

15.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.09 A$4.44

-19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$7.54 A$10.83

6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$7.41 A$10.65

21.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.49 A$2.14

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.97 A$4.26

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.18 A$3.13

49.08%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$4.35 A$6.25

-4.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.91 A$12.79

46.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.49 A$12.19

68.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.27 A$13.32

72.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.91 A$5.61

12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.86 A$4.11

-49.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.81 A$4.03

61.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$5.15 A$7.40

-18.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.53 A$3.63

3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.42 A$3.48

-2.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.07 A$2.97

-14.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.12 A$3.04

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$43.93 A$63.1

-77.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.81 A$16.97

24.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$10.12 A$14.53

-72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$7.83 A$11.24

-55.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$48.01 A$69.0

-15.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.72 A$5.34

-28.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.32 A$1.89

19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$49.60 A$71.3

-28.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.29 A$1.85

-23.26%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$31.4K A$45.1K

14.04%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$41.5K A$59.6K

-34.53%

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

$219 $219

$216 A$310

1.64%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$33.26 A$47.77

74.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$61.3 A$88.0

11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$79.7 A$115

-27.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$28.11 A$40.37

-47.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$17.07 A$24.51

-17.22%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,924 A$2,763

-21.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,239 A$11.8K

160.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$83.2 A$119

-37.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$46.11 A$66.2

-4.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$105 A$150

-18.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$138 A$199

-23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,716 A$2,465

12.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,670 A$2,399

-23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,712 A$3,895

35.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,156 A$3,097

17.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,794 A$5,449

100.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,538 A$5,081

-9.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$4,166 A$5,984

22.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.14

10.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Darwin

$1.7K 55% 31.3% $398

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Darwin

$377 12.4% 6.3% $26

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Darwin

$340 11.2% 2.3% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Darwin

$310 10.2% 10.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Darwin

$168 5.5% 30.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Darwin

$114 3.8% 32.1% $28

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Darwin

$58 * 1.9% 2.3% $1.3

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,716 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $90.0 in Darwin. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $377, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

15:37 3:37 PM

14 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

122,207

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Darwin 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Darwin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 23% 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 $1,716 in Darwin. 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 $3,070 in Darwin – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 19% less than in Darwin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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 Darwin 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 14% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.