Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,084 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,084 in Hillcrest.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hillcrest $1,084

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,681 in Hillcrest.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hillcrest $1,681

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,279 in Hillcrest.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hillcrest $2,279

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 146% more expensive than in Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Hillcrest is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.59 R 125

173.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$38.42 R 633

120.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.87 R 96.8

109.88%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.74 R 45.17

105.47%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.08 R 17.77

244.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.83 R 13.64

201.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.38 R 39.22

238.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.50 R 41.26

260.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.23 R 20.34

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.91 R 15.06

312.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.48 R 24.36

120.27%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.42 R 39.88

72.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.19 R 135

57.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.14 R 84.8

175.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.05 R 116

130.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.29 R 21.23

235.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.85 R 30.55

-21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.90 R 31.34

137.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.67 R 27.46

159.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.48 R 24.43

74.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.44 R 23.79

63.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.20 R 19.73

48.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.15 R 19.01

93.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.54 R 58.4

179.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.92 R 81.1

206.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.39 R 22.83

110.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 R 30.21

89.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 R 24.09

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.40 R 6.66

582.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.71 R 11.69

133.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.55 R 124

367.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 R 25.06

-37.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.3K R 580.9K

2.23%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$30.8K R 506.8K

-12.00%

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

$229 $229

$143 R 2,362

59.72%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$35.68 R 588

66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$39.15 R 645

78.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.67 R 522

80.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.82 R 178

50.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.05 R 116

102.55%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$308 R 5,078

388.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,586 R 125.0K

182.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.9 R 888

-2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.76 R 490

47.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$98.3 R 1,620

-13.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$83.9 R 1,382

22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$397 R 6,544

380.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$366 R 6,029

248.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$730 R 12.0K

402.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$734 R 12.1K

245.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$882 R 14.5K

762.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$659 R 10.9K

379.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.78

-42.36%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hillcrest

$366 33.8% 71.3% $908

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hillcrest

$188 17.4% 53.4% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hillcrest

$218 20.1% 39.1% $140

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hillcrest

$136 12.5% 61.6% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hillcrest

$120 11% 6.5% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hillcrest

$46 4.2% 46.6% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hillcrest

$9.8 * 0.9% 83.3% $49

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 $397 in Hillcrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $38.00 in Hillcrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $188 per month, with Hillcrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hillcrest 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hillcrest wins on cost – living expenses run 146% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hillcrest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,625 in Hillcrest 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $397 in Hillcrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $308 in Hillcrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hillcrest – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,084 in Hillcrest versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hillcrest but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hillcrest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hillcrest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,084 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hillcrest hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Hillcrest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.