Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Invercargill

For one person, living is cheaper in Invercargill: $1,412 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Invercargill
Learn more

Invercargill Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Invercargill

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,412 in Invercargill.

Austin, TX $2,663
Invercargill $1,412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,099 in Invercargill.

Austin, TX $4,133
Invercargill $2,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,785 in Invercargill.

Austin, TX $5,603
Invercargill $2,785

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 89% more expensive than in Invercargill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Invercargill 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.04 NZ$24.83

47.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$61.2 NZ$108

38.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.32 NZ$14.71

48.08%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.12 NZ$5.52

80.45%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.65 NZ$2.92

125.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.03 NZ$3.60

23.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.74 NZ$4.85

193.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.74 NZ$4.85

228.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.68 NZ$2.96

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.85 NZ$3.27

102.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.76 NZ$3.11

85.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.58 NZ$9.87

-25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.23 NZ$14.55

56.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.83 NZ$15.61

60.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.12 NZ$21.44

33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.55 NZ$4.50

69.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.36 NZ$4.17

-38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.66 NZ$4.70

69.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.52 NZ$6.23

23.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.21 NZ$5.68

-19.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.61 NZ$2.85

45.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.33 NZ$4.13

-23.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.04 NZ$1.84

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$20.39 NZ$36.06

-51.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.56 NZ$15.14

76.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.86 NZ$5.06

2.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.39 NZ$5.99

2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.41 NZ$2.49

5.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.27 NZ$4.01

20.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.94 NZ$3.42

-14.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.73 NZ$49.04

27.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.59 NZ$2.81

-40.25%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$23.8K NZ$42.1K

51.47%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.2K NZ$32.3K

48.42%

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

$229 $229

$109 NZ$192

110.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.30 NZ$57.1

83.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$42.46 NZ$75.1

64.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$27.87 NZ$49.29

105.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.77 NZ$24.34

18.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.82 NZ$15.60

61.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$589 NZ$1,042

155.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.4 NZ$102

-8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.07 NZ$62.0

24.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$70.0 NZ$124

21.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$79.0 NZ$140

30.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$594 NZ$1,050

221.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$551 NZ$974

131.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$831 NZ$1,470

340.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$764 NZ$1,350

232.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,482 NZ$9,695

38.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,034 NZ$8,902

-37.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,729 NZ$4,826

87.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

6.72

1.04%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Invercargill: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Invercargill

$551 39% 56.8% $723

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Invercargill

$298 21.1% 26.4% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Invercargill

$183 13% 48.8% $175

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Invercargill

$209 14.8% 41% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Invercargill

$109 7.7% 15.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Invercargill

$46 3.2% 47% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Invercargill

$18 * 1.2% 70% $41

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 $594 in Invercargill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $61.0 in Invercargill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $298 per month, with Invercargill cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Invercargill

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

10:39 10:39 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

56,200

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Invercargill 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Invercargill

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 Invercargill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Invercargill wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Invercargill the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 88% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $594 in Invercargill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $589 in Invercargill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Invercargill – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,412 in Invercargill versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Invercargill but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Invercargill 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 Invercargill 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 Invercargill gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.