Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Essen

For one person, living is cheaper in Essen: $1,973 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Essen
Learn more

Essen Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,973 in Essen.

Austin, TX $2,704
Essen $1,973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,106 in Essen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Essen $3,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,239 in Essen.

Austin, TX $5,562
Essen $4,239

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 37% more expensive than in Essen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Essen 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$19.82 €17.69

2.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$86.1 €76.8

-1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$13.62 €12.15

-9.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.90 €3.48

40.26%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$3.17 €2.83

20.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.64 €2.35

-5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$6.10 €5.44

32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.63 €5.02

59.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.23 €1.09

-8.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.10 €1.88

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.32 €2.96

-2.11%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.80 €3.39

8.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$16.79 €14.98

-22.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$10.28 €9.18

39.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$24.58 €21.94

-35.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.34 €2.98

31.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.09 €1.87

-30.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.16 €1.92

110.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.93 €3.51

6.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.36 €1.21

93.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.25 €1.12

88.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.54 €1.38

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.17 €1.05

84.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.65 €8.61

1.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.53 €4.94

166.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.09 €0.98

155.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.51 €1.35

130.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.07 €3.63

-63.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$65.5 €58.4

-38.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.99 €4.46

-46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$3.46 €3.09

-54.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$39.97 €35.67

-11.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.20 €1.96

-55.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$33.4K €29.8K

7.32%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$38.9K €34.7K

-30.10%

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

$219 $219

$389 €347

-43.57%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$38.24 €34.13

51.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$41.91 €37.40

63.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$41.22 €36.78

40.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$36.96 €32.98

-59.90%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$15.36 €13.71

-8.01%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$465 €415

224.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,333 €8,329

129.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$94.4 €84.3

-45.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$83.9 €74.8

-47.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$111 €99.5

-23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$159 €142

-33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$641 €572

201.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$487 €435

161.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,423 €1,270

157.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$950 €848

165.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,666 €4,164

63.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,040 €2,713

5.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$3,050 €2,722

67.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.95

71.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Essen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Essen

$487 24.5% 61.7% $785

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Essen

$341 17.2% 15.3% $62

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Essen

$311 15.7% 10.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Essen

$469 23.6% 35.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Essen

$202 10.2% 56.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Essen

$72 3.6% 16.5% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Essen

$104 5.2% 82.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $641 in Essen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 67% 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 $86.0 in Essen. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $341, with Essen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇩🇪 Essen

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

06:03 6:03 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

569,884

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Essen 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Essen

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 Essen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Essen wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Essen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% 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 $641 in Essen. 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 $1,973 in Essen – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Essen runs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,973 in Essen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Essen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Essen 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 Essen 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 Essen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.