Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Hella: $1,722 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,722 in Hella.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hella $1,722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,928 in Hella.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hella $2,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,135 in Hella.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hella $4,135

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 55% more expensive than in Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Hella 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$123 ISK 14.9K

-31.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-54.61%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$6.93 ISK 841

-18.76%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.36 ISK 407

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.07 ISK 373

-18.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-41.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-26.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.04 ISK 247

-45.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$4.26 ISK 516

-11.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.58 ISK 434

-8.94%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$6.99 ISK 848

-40.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-41.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-42.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-60.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.35 ISK 406

29.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.86 ISK 347

-48.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.13 ISK 379

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.62 ISK 803

-34.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.81 ISK 463

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.71 ISK 208

37.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$3.78 ISK 458

-52.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.77 ISK 215

25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-28.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.71 ISK 449

-21.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.50 ISK 425

-1.14%

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

$6.61 ISK 802

-58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.76 ISK 335

-39.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-56.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.09 ISK 253

-54.55%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-29.64%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-49.98%

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

$229 $229

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

140.61%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$33.16 ISK 4,022

79.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-20.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-27.40%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

25.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-16.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$147 ISK 17.8K

-63.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-34.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$183 ISK 22.2K

-53.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$253 ISK 30.7K

-59.31%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.81

-22.93%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hella

$620 36% 53.3% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hella

$216 12.6% 39.7% $142

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hella

$534 31% 50.8% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hella

$292 17% 128% $164

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 54.1% $46

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 65.2% $38

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 $123 in Hella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $620 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

900

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

ISK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hella 6,400 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hella wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hella the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $2,583 in Hella 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 $1,198 in Hella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hella – a meal for two runs $123 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,722 in Hella versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Hella but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hella 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 Hella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.