Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Elk

For one person, living is cheaper in Elk: $1,224 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Elk
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Elk Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Elk

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,224 in Elk.

Austin, TX $2,663
Elk $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,863 in Elk.

Austin, TX $4,133
Elk $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,501 in Elk.

Austin, TX $5,603
Elk $2,501

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 118% more expensive than in Elk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Elk is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.09 zł 35.32

128.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.16 zł 164

100.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.62 zł 29.60

61.68%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.09 zł 12.00

82.20%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.09 zł 8.11

77.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.65 zł 6.42

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.53 zł 9.82

218.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.92 zł 15.22

129.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.99 zł 3.86

13.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.21 zł 4.70

209.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.63 zł 6.32

100.00%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.46 zł 9.56

69.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.61 zł 17.92

179.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.01 zł 23.34

135.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.15 zł 55.0

14.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.11 zł 4.30

290.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.61 zł 6.26

-9.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.54 zł 5.98

192.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.17 zł 12.30

36.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.93 zł 3.61

177.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.36 zł 5.29

72.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.52 zł 5.92

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 zł 2.03

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.71 zł 18.31

109.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.02 zł 27.29

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.29 zł 5.00

126.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.29 zł 5.01

168.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.68 zł 2.65

119.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.33 zł 82.9

95.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.08 zł 8.07

31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.52 zł 2.02

219.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.28 zł 24.41

462.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.57 zł 6.11

-39.49%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$31.4K zł 121.9K

14.86%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.2K zł 105.7K

-0.50%

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

$229 $229

$183 zł 712

24.87%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.60 zł 25.65

799.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$13.77 zł 53.5

407.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$29.38 zł 114

94.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$36.32 zł 141

-55.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.54 zł 25.42

118.35%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$299 zł 1,162

403.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,139 zł 20.0K

317.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$83.7 zł 325

-36.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.61 zł 99.5

71.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$82.9 zł 322

2.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$115 zł 448

-10.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$528 zł 2,051

261.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$440 zł 1,709

189.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$929 zł 3,610

294.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$782 zł 3,039

224.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,177 zł 8,457

249.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,924 zł 7,475

64.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,242 zł 4,827

312.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.21

9.34%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Elk: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Elk

$440 35.9% 65.5% $834

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Elk

$203 16.6% 49.9% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Elk

$204 16.6% 43.1% $155

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Elk

$168 13.7% 52.5% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Elk

$138 11.3% 8.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Elk

$42 3.5% 50.5% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Elk

$29 2.4% 51% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $528 in Elk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 312% 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 $42.00 in Elk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $203 per month, with Elk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇱 Elk

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

02:27 2:27 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

61,782

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

PLN to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Elk 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Elk

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 Elk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elk wins on cost – living expenses run 118% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Elk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 312% 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 $528 in Elk. 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 $1,224 in Elk – a 118% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Elk runs roughly 96% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,224 in Elk versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elk but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Elk 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 Elk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.