Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $834 in Hawassa.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hawassa $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,199 in Hawassa.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hawassa $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,564 in Hawassa.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hawassa $1,564

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 219% more expensive than in Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Hawassa is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.90 ETB 625

432.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$42.11 ETB 6,758

100.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.56 ETB 1,054

87.80%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$0.95 ETB 153

492.63%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.63 ETB 102

490.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.69 ETB 110

262.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.83 ETB 133

869.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.30 ETB 370

291.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.07 ETB 172

4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.17 ETB 188

220.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.01 ETB 163

222.77%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.58 ETB 253

163.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.40 ETB 1,188

74.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.07 ETB 1,616

40.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.09 ETB 1,458

78.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$5.35 ETB 859

-19.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.68 ETB 109

114.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.13 ETB 341

111.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.66 ETB 106

557.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.50 ETB 80.5

416.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.06 ETB 169

121.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.69 ETB 110

157.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 ETB 91.3

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$8.18 ETB 1,312

20.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.55 ETB 891

171.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.66 ETB 106

342.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.28 ETB 206

170.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.31 ETB 210

108.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.27 ETB 42.86

514.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.03 ETB 326

1638.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.92 ETB 147

3.26%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-33.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-51.97%

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

$229 $229

$202 ETB 32.5K

13.26%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.21 ETB 1,158

723.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$213 ETB 34.2K

-67.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.84 ETB 616

271.88%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$136 ETB 21.9K

1004.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-29.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$33.37 ETB 5,356

58.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-38.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$494 ETB 79.3K

539.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

18.5

-63.30%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 49.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 18% $64

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 78.4% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 6.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 91.1% $78

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 95.5% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $42.00 in Hawassa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $205 per month, with Hawassa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

160,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

ETB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hawassa 13,770 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawassa wins on cost – living expenses run 219% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hawassa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,252 in Hawassa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $136 in Hawassa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hawassa – 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 $834 in Hawassa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hawassa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hawassa 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.

Expats usually find Hawassa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.