Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Drachten

For one person, living is cheaper in Drachten: $2,483 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
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Drachten Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,483 in Drachten.

Austin, TX $2,663
Drachten $2,483

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,657 in Drachten.

Austin, TX $4,133
Drachten $3,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,831 in Drachten.

Austin, TX $5,603
Drachten $4,831

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 7% more expensive than in Drachten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Drachten 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$24.26 €21.58

-14.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$84.3 €75.0

0.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.55 €12.05

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.98 €3.54

41.46%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.62 €3.22

2.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.10 €2.75

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.74 €5.11

40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.68 €5.05

58.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.16 €1.03

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.34 €1.19

179.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.59 €1.41

105.03%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.00 €4.45

-16.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.45 €11.07

3.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$13.26 €11.80

6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.08 €10.74

34.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.86 €1.66

132.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.49 €2.22

-41.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.89 €1.68

138.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.14 €2.79

38.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.64 €1.45

57.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.58 €1.41

48.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.28 €1.14

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.65 €0.57

241.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$8.96 €7.97

10.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.86 €6.10

119.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.47 €1.31

98.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.65 €2.35

30.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.38 €3.00

-55.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$90.0 €80.1

-53.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.19 €3.73

-34.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.05 €2.71

-45.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$49.31 €43.86

-28.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.27 €2.01

-58.15%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$41.5K €36.9K

-13.20%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$37.3K €33.2K

-27.37%

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

$229 $229

$276 €246

-17.13%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$24.01 €21.35

147.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$49.46 €44.00

41.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.09 €36.55

39.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$22.13 €19.68

-26.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$16.02 €14.25

-10.86%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,305 €2,050

-34.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,889 €7,018

171.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$59.0 €52.5

-10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.14 €39.26

-0.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$87.4 €77.7

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$136 €121

-24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,430 €1,272

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,155 €1,027

10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,384 €2,120

53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,900 €1,690

33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,428 €4,829

40.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,379 €3,895

-27.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,515 €2,237

103.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.3

57.91%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Drachten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5% 9.4% $119

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Drachten

$286 11.5% 29.3% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Drachten

$350 14.1% 2.4% $8.5

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Drachten

$349 14.1% 1.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Drachten

$147 5.9% 14.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Drachten

$73 3% 14.8% $13

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Drachten

$123 5% 110% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,430 in Drachten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 104% 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 $84.0 in Drachten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $286 per month, with Drachten cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇱 Drachten

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

01:38 1:38 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

45,186

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Austin, TX Drachten 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
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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 Drachten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drachten wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Drachten the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 104% 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 $1,430 in Drachten. 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 $2,483 in Drachten – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Drachten runs roughly 116% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,483 in Drachten versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Drachten but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Drachten 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 Drachten 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 Drachten gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.