Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Forbes

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Forbes: $2,607 and $2,543 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,543 in Forbes.

Austin, TX $2,607
Forbes $2,543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $3,751 in Forbes.

Austin, TX $4,031
Forbes $3,751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $4,958 in Forbes.

Austin, TX $5,454
Forbes $4,958

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 3% more expensive than in Forbes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Forbes 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$15.91 A$22.61

27.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$94.9 A$135

-10.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.31 A$16.07

7.16%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.52 A$5.00

60.51%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.99 A$4.24

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.37 A$3.37

-0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$6.98 A$9.92

12.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$7.40 A$10.52

19.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.69 A$2.41

-32.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.42 A$3.44

52.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.14 A$3.04

54.67%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$5.00 A$7.10

-17.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$10.16 A$14.44

27.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$9.52 A$13.53

45.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$13.72 A$19.49

19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.78 A$5.37

24.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.01 A$4.27

-51.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.55 A$5.05

43.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.92 A$6.99

-8.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.50 A$3.55

23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.55 A$3.63

-6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.28 A$3.24

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.45 A$2.06

53.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$46.43 A$66.0

-78.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$12.36 A$17.57

21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.75 A$6.75

-38.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$5.80 A$8.24

-42.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.66 A$3.78

-54.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$78.5 A$111

-48.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.70 A$5.26

-24.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.72 A$2.45

-4.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$45.70 A$64.9

-22.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 A$1.78

-24.00%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$33.8K A$48.1K

1.12%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-4.91%

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

$223 $223

$195 A$277

14.42%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$23.66 A$33.62

147.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$53.4 A$75.8

33.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$59.1 A$84.0

-10.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$19.72 A$28.02

-15.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$12.05 A$17.13

16.68%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$2,301 A$3,269

-36.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.3K A$30.3K

0.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$80.6 A$115

-34.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$56.7 A$80.6

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$117 A$166

-25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$124 A$176

-16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,558 A$2,213

35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,278 A$1,816

-3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$2,463 A$3,499

56.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$2,041 A$2,901

17.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$5,228 A$7,428

42.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$5,146 A$7,312

-40.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.9

15.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3% 3.8% $47

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Forbes

$364 14.3% 11.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Forbes

$272 10.7% 22.9% $81

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Forbes

$275 10.8% 21.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Forbes

$170 6.7% 32.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Forbes

$83 3.3% 2.5% $2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Forbes

$101 4% 79.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $1,558 in Forbes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $95 in Forbes. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $364, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Forbes

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

05:35 5:35 AM

16 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,481

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Forbes 13,900 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Forbes

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 Forbes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Forbes wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Forbes the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $3,814 in Forbes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $1,558 in Forbes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,543 in Forbes – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 48% less than in Forbes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Forbes gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.