Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Elbasan

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $882 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 Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $882 in Elbasan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Elbasan $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,391 in Elbasan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Elbasan $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,901 in Elbasan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Elbasan $1,901

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 202% more expensive than in Elbasan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.79 ALL 788

112.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$36.36 ALL 2,928

132.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.85 ALL 552

79.85%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.68 ALL 135

235.12%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.35 ALL 109

175.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.63 ALL 50.8

296.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.16 ALL 174

272.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.83 ALL 228

218.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.88 ALL 151

-40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.91 ALL 73.4

312.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.62 ALL 131

101.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.70 ALL 218

54.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.98 ALL 804

29.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.87 ALL 473

141.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.19 ALL 901

44.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.20 ALL 96.3

260.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.28 ALL 184

-35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.36 ALL 109

231.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.07 ALL 86.1

305.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.98 ALL 79.0

163.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.09 ALL 87.5

115.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.81 ALL 65.1

119.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.65 ALL 52.1

241.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.38 ALL 353

125.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.07 ALL 649

86.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.02 ALL 82.0

186.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.85 ALL 149

87.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.48 ALL 38.46

210.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$19.51 ALL 1,571

113.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.77 ALL 303

-27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.51 ALL 122

9.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.94 ALL 1,203

136.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.15 ALL 173

-55.81%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.9K ALL 2.3M

24.63%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.9K ALL 2.4M

-9.46%

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

$229 $229

$61.1 ALL 4,918

274.96%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$15.20 ALL 1,224

290.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$12.00 ALL 966

482.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$56.6 ALL 4,558

1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.22 ALL 1,386

-5.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.33 ALL 349

229.79%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$139 ALL 11.2K

984.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,835 ALL 147.8K

1069.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.1 ALL 5,804

-26.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$44.85 ALL 3,611

-2.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$94.8 ALL 7,630

-10.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$96.3 ALL 7,754

6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$299 ALL 24.1K

537.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$204 ALL 16.4K

525.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$442 ALL 35.6K

729.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$311 ALL 25.1K

715.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,361 ALL 109.6K

459.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$858 ALL 69.1K

267.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$539 ALL 43.4K

850.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.1

11.31%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elbasan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Elbasan

$204 23.1% 84% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Elbasan

$210 23.8% 48.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Elbasan

$88 10% 75.4% $270

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Elbasan

$143 16.3% 59.5% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Elbasan

$139 15.7% 8.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Elbasan

$65 7.4% 23.9% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Elbasan

$33 3.7% 44.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $299 in Elbasan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 850% 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 $36.00 in Elbasan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $210 per month, with Elbasan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

05:21 5:21 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

78,703

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

ALL to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Elbasan 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Elbasan

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 Elbasan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elbasan wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elbasan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 850% 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 $299 in Elbasan. 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 $882 in Elbasan – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Elbasan runs roughly 114% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $882 in Elbasan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elbasan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Elbasan 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 Elbasan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.