Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Jacksonville, NC

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Jacksonville, NC: $2,607 and $2,554 a month, rent and utilities included.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Jacksonville, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC.

Austin, TX $2,607
Jacksonville, NC $2,554

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC.

Austin, TX $4,031
Jacksonville, NC $3,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC.

Austin, TX $5,454
Jacksonville, NC $4,637

Monthly costs are close between Austin, TX and Jacksonville, NC; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 92% above, Jacksonville, NC 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$15.57 $15.57

30.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$58.9 $58.9

43.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$9.89 $9.89

22.55%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.81 $4.81

17.46%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$2.56 $2.56

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.97 $1.97

19.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.94 $4.94

59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$7.06 $7.06

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.17 $1.17

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$4.21 $4.21

-12.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$11.08 $11.08

-70.13%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$6.04 $6.04

-31.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$19.50 $19.50

-33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$17.09 $17.09

-18.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$24.53 $24.53

-33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$5.87 $5.87

-20.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.86 $1.86

-22.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$8.23 $8.23

-37.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$6.17 $6.17

-26.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$6.88 $6.88

-55.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$4.00 $4.00

-40.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.77 $2.77

-35.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.04 $2.04

8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$8.96 $8.96

11.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$15.02 $15.02

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.76 $1.76

65.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$3.96 $3.96

-15.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.53 $1.53

-20.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$90.4 $90.4

-55.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.54 $2.54

9.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.91 $0.91

4.40%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$27.4K $27.4K

24.92%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

4.14%

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

$223 $223

$174 $174

28.18%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$76.0 $76.0

-23.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

-0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$31.20 $31.20

70.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$1.71 $1.71

879.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$15.59 $15.59

-9.81%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$796 $796

83.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$60.9 $60.9

-13.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$39.56 $39.56

8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$103 $103

-15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$138 $138

-25.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$1,384 $1,384

52.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$1,094 $1,094

12.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$1,809 $1,809

113.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,451 $1,451

65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,049 $2,049

262.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,833 $1,833

66.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$2,208 $2,208

134.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

6.37

7.06%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8% 11.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7% 35.5% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6% 8.9% $31

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5% 22.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6% 19.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4% 23.2% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9% 75.5% $43

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $59 in Jacksonville, NC. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $555, with Austin, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

949,611

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Austin, TX Jacksonville, NC 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Jacksonville, NC

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 Jacksonville, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 2.3 times higher, 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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $796 in Jacksonville, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jacksonville, NC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Jacksonville, NC gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Jacksonville, NC is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Austin, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Jacksonville, NC wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.