Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Harstad: $2,553 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,553 in Harstad.

Austin, TX $2,698
Harstad $2,553

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,807 in Harstad.

Austin, TX $4,160
Harstad $3,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $5,061 in Harstad.

Austin, TX $5,622
Harstad $5,061

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Harstad 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$14.18 NOK 133

45.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$103 NOK 969

-17.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$15.83 NOK 149

-23.75%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$6.29 NOK 59.2

-12.88%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.63 NOK 34.15

4.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.14 NOK 29.58

-21.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$12.57 NOK 118

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$13.53 NOK 127

-34.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.46 NOK 23.20

-54.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.25 NOK 30.60

14.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.22 NOK 30.27

4.66%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.31 NOK 40.61

0.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.71 NOK 101

22.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$14.37 NOK 135

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$41.47 NOK 390

-60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.15 NOK 39.10

9.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.85 NOK 26.81

-48.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.69 NOK 34.75

27.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.65 NOK 43.74

-10.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.06 NOK 19.36

25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.04 NOK 19.21

15.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.98 NOK 28.02

-40.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$16.03 NOK 151

-36.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.88 NOK 149

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$3.82 NOK 35.99

-26.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$4.89 NOK 46.04

-29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$6.09 NOK 57.3

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$81.8 NOK 770

-49.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$15.86 NOK 149

-82.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.86 NOK 17.47

-13.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$55.0 NOK 517

-37.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.29 NOK 21.60

-58.95%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$36.4K NOK 343.0K

-6.74%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$30.9K NOK 291.0K

-13.43%

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

$223 $223

$167 NOK 1,568

33.67%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$33.30 NOK 313

76.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$77.4 NOK 729

-8.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$48.78 NOK 459

18.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$37.22 NOK 350

-55.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$17.10 NOK 161

-16.61%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$237 NOK 2,231

537.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,116 NOK 48.2K

308.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$67.4 NOK 635

-23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$34.87 NOK 328

26.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$118 NOK 1,111

-26.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$161 NOK 1,513

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,335 NOK 12.6K

45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,035 NOK 9,740

27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,281 NOK 21.5K

60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,526 NOK 14.4K

68.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$6,018 NOK 56.6K

22.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$3,991 NOK 37.6K

-21.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$3,383 NOK 31.8K

56.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

35.80%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Harstad

$1K 40.5% 21.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Harstad

$502 19.7% 23.7% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Harstad

$277 10.9% 21.3% $75

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Harstad

$353 13.8% 0.9% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Harstad

$171 6.7% 32.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Harstad

$83 3.3% 3.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Harstad

$131 5.1% 127% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,335 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 56% 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 $103 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $502 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

23:56 11:56 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

25,119

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 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 Harstad 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harstad wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Harstad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,335 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $2,553 in Harstad – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Harstad runs roughly 100% 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 $2,500. Harstad 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Harstad 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 Harstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.