Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hamilton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamilton: $1,647 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hamilton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,647 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hamilton $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,571 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hamilton $2,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,496 in Hamilton.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hamilton $3,496

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 62% more expensive than in Hamilton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Hamilton 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.78 NZ$20.83

76.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$73.6 NZ$130

15.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.47 NZ$14.98

45.45%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.32 NZ$5.86

69.58%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.26 NZ$3.99

64.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.38 NZ$4.20

5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.24 NZ$11.04

29.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.44 NZ$9.63

65.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.46 NZ$2.59

-23.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.25 NZ$2.20

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.96 NZ$3.46

66.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.25 NZ$9.29

-20.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.56 NZ$9.84

132.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.32 NZ$12.95

93.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.83 NZ$20.92

37.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.64 NZ$4.68

64.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.29 NZ$4.05

-36.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.22 NZ$5.70

40.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.30 NZ$11.14

-31.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.97 NZ$3.48

30.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.39 NZ$2.46

69.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.56 NZ$4.52

-30.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.96 NZ$1.70

131.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$24.97 NZ$44.16

-60.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.71 NZ$18.95

40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.88 NZ$6.87

-24.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-11.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.42 NZ$2.52

4.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$40.33 NZ$71.3

3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.52 NZ$6.22

-22.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.70 NZ$3.01

-44.12%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.4K NZ$46.6K

36.77%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.1K NZ$40.9K

17.16%

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

$229 $229

$56.1 NZ$99.2

308.40%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.89 NZ$63.5

65.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.2 NZ$95.8

29.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$25.00 NZ$44.21

128.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$28.03 NZ$49.58

-41.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$13.86 NZ$24.52

3.03%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$666 NZ$1,178

126.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

-4.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$60.8 NZ$108

-13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.29 NZ$65.9

17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$92.0 NZ$163

-7.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$104 NZ$183

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,082 NZ$1,913

76.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$751 NZ$1,327

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,488 NZ$2,632

146.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,309 NZ$2,314

93.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,890 NZ$6,880

95.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,506 NZ$7,969

-29.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,634 NZ$4,658

94.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.83

-0.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hamilton

$751 45.6% 41.1% $523

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hamilton

$295 17.9% 27% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hamilton

$146 8.9% 59.2% $212

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hamilton

$220 13.4% 37.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hamilton

$132 8% 3.3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hamilton

$53 3.2% 38.5% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hamilton

$50 * 3% 15.6% $9.1

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 $1,082 in Hamilton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 94% 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 $74.0 in Hamilton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $295 per month, with Hamilton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Hamilton

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

08:54 8:54 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

169,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hamilton 11,770 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hamilton

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 Hamilton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamilton wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hamilton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 94% 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 $1,082 in Hamilton. 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 $1,647 in Hamilton – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hamilton runs roughly 3% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,647 in Hamilton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Hamilton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.