Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,060 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,060 in Howick.

Austin, TX $2,663
Howick $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,654 in Howick.

Austin, TX $4,133
Howick $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,248 in Howick.

Austin, TX $5,603
Howick $2,248

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 151% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Howick is 22% 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

$39.02 R 643

116.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.36 R 88.3

129.85%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.70 R 44.48

108.52%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.11 R 18.34

235.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.83 R 13.71

201.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.36 R 38.83

241.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.61 R 42.93

245.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.23 R 20.28

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.97 R 16.06

286.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.48 R 24.32

120.27%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.32 R 38.24

79.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.08 R 133

59.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.04 R 83.1

180.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.25 R 119

123.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.94 R 32.00

123.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.85 R 30.55

-21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.90 R 31.33

137.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.63 R 26.89

166.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.48 R 24.36

74.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.45 R 23.88

62.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.16 R 19.16

53.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.19 R 19.66

86.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.68 R 60.7

168.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.72 R 77.8

219.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.45 R 23.93

101.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.84 R 30.30

88.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.47 R 24.20

1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.43 R 7.17

534.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.69 R 11.43

140.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.48 R 123

371.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.41 R 23.18

-32.62%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.0K R 576.3K

3.06%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.0K R 510.4K

-12.60%

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

$229 $229

$148 R 2,434

54.98%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.79 R 244

301.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$39.50 R 651

76.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$32.28 R 532

77.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.64 R 175

53.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.20 R 119

98.33%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$307 R 5,053

390.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,495 R 123.5K

186.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.1 R 875

-0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.21 R 498

45.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$97.5 R 1,606

-13.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.1 R 1,353

25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$387 R 6,368

393.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$357 R 5,883

256.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$737 R 12.1K

397.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$734 R 12.1K

246.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$863 R 14.2K

782.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$664 R 10.9K

375.72%

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 Howick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Howick

$357 33.7% 72% $917

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Howick

$192 18.1% 52.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Howick

$202 19.1% 43.6% $156

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Howick

$134 12.6% 62.2% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Howick

$118 11.2% 7.5% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Howick

$47 4.4% 45.6% $39

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Howick

$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 $387 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $39.00 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $192 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

32,453

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Howick 15,040 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick wins on cost – living expenses run 151% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Howick the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,589 in Howick 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 $387 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $307 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Howick versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Howick but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Howick 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Howick 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 Howick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.