Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $591 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
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Kafue Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $591 in Kafue.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kafue $591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $939 in Kafue.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kafue $939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,288 in Kafue.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kafue $1,288

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 351% more expensive than in Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kafue is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.61 ZMW 112

270.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.47 ZMW 606

177.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.20 ZMW 103

136.92%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.87 ZMW 57.0

96.17%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.78 ZMW 15.44

376.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.50 ZMW 10.01

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.24 ZMW 24.59

549.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.24 ZMW 44.46

302.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.77 ZMW 35.17

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

202.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.15 ZMW 42.77

51.63%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.89 ZMW 37.65

120.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.26 ZMW 204

25.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.45 ZMW 128

119.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.61 ZMW 131

145.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.31 ZMW 65.9

30.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.45 ZMW 48.76

-40.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.62 ZMW 72.1

24.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.51 ZMW 30.01

187.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.67 ZMW 53.0

-3.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.89 ZMW 37.51

24.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.78 ZMW 15.55

184.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.99 ZMW 59.4

230.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.18 ZMW 203

48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.47 ZMW 29.23

98.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.38 ZMW 47.35

45.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.48 ZMW 49.32

10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.56 ZMW 31.06

6.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.94 ZMW 98.3

614.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.51 ZMW 29.93

-37.09%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$7,751 ZMW 154.2K

365.07%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.5K ZMW 546.0K

-1.38%

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

$229 $229

$79.7 ZMW 1,586

187.24%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.66 ZMW 212

457.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$55.3 ZMW 1,100

26.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.23 ZMW 124

129.21%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$140 ZMW 2,777

978.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

29.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$23.38 ZMW 465

125.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$15.47 ZMW 308

183.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$46.03 ZMW 915

84.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.7 ZMW 1,445

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-76.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kafue: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kafue

$241 40.8% 40.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kafue

$146 24.7% 59.3% $213

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kafue

$111 18.7% 68.7% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kafue

$71 12% 44.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 85.5% $73

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kafue

$10 * 1.7% 82.5% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $30.00 in Kafue for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $241 per month, with Kafue cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

104,174

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

ZMW to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kafue 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kafue wins on cost – living expenses run 351% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kafue the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $886 in Kafue 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $140 in Kafue. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kafue – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $591 in Kafue versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kafue but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kafue 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.

Expats usually find Kafue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 351% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.