Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Grahamstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,121 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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 Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,121 in Grahamstown.

Austin, TX $2,663
Grahamstown $1,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,757 in Grahamstown.

Austin, TX $4,133
Grahamstown $1,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,392 in Grahamstown.

Austin, TX $5,603
Grahamstown $2,392

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 138% more expensive than in Grahamstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Grahamstown is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.85 R 179

91.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.03 R 692

101.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.06 R 99.9

103.30%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.13 R 35.03

164.32%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.04 R 17.21

257.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 R 11.94

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.76 R 45.45

191.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.07 R 50.6

193.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.12 R 18.45

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.01 R 16.57

271.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.45 R 23.86

124.83%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.82 R 46.40

47.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.78 R 145

46.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.25 R 86.5

169.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.51 R 140

90.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.19 R 36.07

97.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.47 R 24.17

-0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.69 R 27.91

166.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.72 R 28.34

152.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.67 R 27.50

54.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.37 R 22.55

71.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.30 R 21.36

36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.02 R 16.73

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.20 R 52.7

208.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.68 R 77.1

222.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 R 20.02

139.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.78 R 29.34

94.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.54 R 25.32

-3.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.62 R 10.13

340.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.47 R 7.72

253.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.17 R 135

332.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.40 R 23.07

-32.14%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.0K R 576.1K

3.09%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$32.8K R 540.0K

-17.40%

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

$229 $229

$120 R 1,983

90.25%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$34.81 R 574

70.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$44.20 R 728

58.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.55 R 520

81.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.55 R 174

54.79%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.60 R 175

34.72%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$175 R 2,891

758.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,834 R 79.6K

343.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$71.5 R 1,178

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$36.90 R 608

18.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$109 R 1,803

-22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$94.3 R 1,553

9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$394 R 6,497

383.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$366 R 6,038

247.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$726 R 12.0K

404.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$719 R 11.9K

252.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$874 R 14.4K

770.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$646 R 10.6K

388.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,164 R 19.2K

339.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.94

-43.13%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Grahamstown: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Grahamstown

$366 32.7% 71.2% $908

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Grahamstown

$196 17.5% 51.6% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Grahamstown

$199 17.8% 44.4% $159

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Grahamstown

$158 14.1% 55.5% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Grahamstown

$140 12.5% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Grahamstown

$53 4.7% 38.5% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8% 84.5% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $394 in Grahamstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 340% 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 Grahamstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $196 per month, with Grahamstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

67,264

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Grahamstown 14,800 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Grahamstown

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 Grahamstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grahamstown wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Grahamstown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 340% 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 $394 in Grahamstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $175 in Grahamstown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Grahamstown – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,121 in Grahamstown versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Grahamstown but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Grahamstown 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 Grahamstown 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 Grahamstown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.