Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamar: $2,380 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,380 in Hamar.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hamar $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,750 in Hamar.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hamar $3,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,120 in Hamar.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hamar $5,120

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 12% more expensive than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Hamar 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$21.18 NOK 199

-1.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$125 NOK 1,180

-32.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$15.83 NOK 149

-22.17%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$5.76 NOK 54.2

-2.26%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$4.21 NOK 39.63

-11.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.28 NOK 30.85

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$11.49 NOK 108

-29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$8.07 NOK 76.0

11.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.50 NOK 23.53

-55.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.93 NOK 27.57

27.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.06 NOK 19.36

58.25%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.76 NOK 54.3

-27.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.05 NOK 104

16.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$12.20 NOK 115

16.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$31.42 NOK 296

-48.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.21 NOK 30.26

34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.57 NOK 24.17

-43.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.05 NOK 28.74

47.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-26.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.48 NOK 23.34

4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.44 NOK 22.95

-3.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.12 NOK 19.97

-16.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.99 NOK 18.74

11.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$18.94 NOK 178

-47.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$16.40 NOK 154

-8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.38 NOK 31.78

-13.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.18 NOK 39.37

-17.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$4.66 NOK 43.87

-68.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$67.5 NOK 635

-38.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$11.92 NOK 112

-77.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$69.5 NOK 654

-49.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.37 NOK 22.32

-59.92%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

-24.51%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

-37.87%

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

$229 $229

$223 NOK 2,104

2.47%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$33.07 NOK 311

79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.1 NOK 509

29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$58.2 NOK 548

-1.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$29.40 NOK 277

-44.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$19.79 NOK 186

-27.84%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$207 NOK 1,948

627.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

36.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$102 NOK 959

-48.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$59.5 NOK 560

-26.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$131 NOK 1,230

-35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$104 NOK 977

-0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$847 NOK 7,973

50.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

132.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

70.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

76.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

-7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

19.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.94

37.45%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hamar

$847 35.6% 33.5% $427

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hamar

$450 18.9% 11.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hamar

$311 13.1% 13.3% $48

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hamar

$390 16.4% 10.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hamar

$178 7.5% 39.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hamar

$98 4.1% 14% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hamar

$107 4.5% 82.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,227 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 20% 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 $125 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $450 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇴 Hamar

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

33,059

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hamar 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hamar

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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamar wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hamar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 20% 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 $1,227 in Hamar. 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 $2,380 in Hamar – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Hamar is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Hamar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.