Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hilton Head Island, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,607 a month against $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hilton Head Island, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
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Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,925 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Austin, TX $2,607
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $2,687 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Austin, TX $4,031
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $2,449 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Austin, TX $5,454
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,449

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 11% less than in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Hilton Head Island, SC 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$19.92 $19.92

2.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$60.1 $60.1

40.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.29 $11.29

7.35%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.97 $4.97

13.68%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$3.09 $3.09

19.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.03 $2.03

16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.93 $4.93

59.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$6.07 $6.07

45.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.71 $0.71

60.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.27 $3.27

12.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$3.69 $3.69

-10.30%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.91 $2.91

42.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$8.72 $8.72

48.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$9.56 $9.56

44.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$13.15 $13.15

24.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.61 $4.61

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.46 $1.46

-0.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.87 $3.87

32.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.57 $4.57

-1.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.89 $2.89

6.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$3.08 $3.08

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.53 $2.53

-28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.43 $2.43

-8.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$9.05 $9.05

10.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$15.07 $15.07

-0.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.13 $2.13

36.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.14 $3.14

6.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.54 $1.54

80.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.13 $1.13

46.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$13.75 $13.75

157.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.94 $0.94

1.06%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$31.2K $31.2K

9.71%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.9K $25.9K

3.40%

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

$223 $223

$216 $216

3.17%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$55.1 $55.1

6.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$67.8 $67.8

5.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$20.28 $20.28

161.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$14.54 $14.54

-3.30%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$1,294 $1,294

12.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$11.9K $11.9K

79.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$34.48 $34.48

52.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$34.82 $34.82

22.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$80.3 $80.3

7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$71.4 $71.4

45.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$2,151 $2,151

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,769 $1,769

-30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$2,272 $2,272

70.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$3,619 $3,619

105.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$3,538 $3,538

-13.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$3,451 $3,451

50.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.64

2.71%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hilton Head Island, SC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 60.5% 43.7% $538

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$351 12% 14.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$339 11.6% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.6% 10.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$99 3.4% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$49 1.7% 39.2% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.2 * 0.3% 87.3% $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 $2,112 in Austin, TX and $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $60 in Hilton Head Island, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $351 per month, with Hilton Head Island, SC cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

40,512

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hilton Head Island, SC 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 50% 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,151 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $1,294 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hilton Head Island, SC – a meal for two runs $60 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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.