Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,105 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,105 in George.

Austin, TX $2,663
George $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,834 in George.

Austin, TX $4,133
George $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,563 in George.

Austin, TX $5,603
George $2,563

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 141% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, George is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.87 R 179

91.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$41.26 R 680

105.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.81 R 79.3

156.13%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.10 R 34.66

168.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.06 R 17.47

250.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.77 R 12.63

224.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.72 R 44.76

195.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.20 R 52.8

181.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.13 R 18.55

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.04 R 17.20

260.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.43 R 23.63

127.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.80 R 46.05

48.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.36 R 138

54.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.45 R 89.8

159.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.66 R 110

143.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.61 R 26.49

168.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.47 R 24.19

-0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.54 R 25.33

192.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.73 R 28.44

150.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.63 R 26.89

58.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.42 R 23.41

65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.25 R 20.53

42.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.97 R 15.99

128.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.18 R 52.4

210.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.72 R 77.8

219.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 R 20.09

139.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.73 R 28.48

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.54 R 25.37

-3.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$27.77 R 457

50.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.58 R 9.50

370.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.47 R 7.67

253.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.38 R 138

321.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.22 R 20.03

-22.13%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.7K R 488.9K

21.48%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.4K R 483.7K

-7.78%

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

$229 $229

$121 R 1,995

89.15%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.44 R 287

240.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$45.19 R 745

54.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$29.75 R 490

92.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.64 R 175

53.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.08 R 100

134.87%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$137 R 2,263

996.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,187 R 85.5K

313.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.5 R 1,177

-26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.94 R 625

15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$112 R 1,845

-24.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$85.8 R 1,413

20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$422 R 6,956

351.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$365 R 6,010

249.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$773 R 12.7K

374.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$929 R 15.3K

173.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$871 R 14.4K

773.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$652 R 10.7K

383.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,364 R 22.5K

275.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.92

-37.82%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for George: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

George

$365 33% 71.4% $909

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

George

$186 16.8% 54% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

George

$184 16.6% 48.7% $175

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

George

$154 13.9% 56.5% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

George

$138 12.5% 8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

George

$42 3.8% 51.1% $44

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

George

$37 3.3% 37.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $422 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 275% 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 $41.00 in George for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $186 per month, with George cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

11:27 11:27 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

188,580

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX George 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making George the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 275% 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 $422 in George. 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 $1,105 in George – a 141% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in George runs roughly 50% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,105 in George versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in George but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes George 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 George 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 George gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.