Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kaluga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaluga: $988 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $988 in Kaluga.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kaluga $988

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,541 in Kaluga.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kaluga $1,541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,093 in Kaluga.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kaluga $2,093

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 169% more expensive than in Kaluga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kaluga is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.00 ₽835

107.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.78 ₽2,986

136.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.66 ₽389

164.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.66 ₽222

111.65%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.96 ₽80.0

287.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.61 ₽51.0

309.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.39 ₽116

479.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.75 ₽146

414.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.22 ₽102

-8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.94 ₽78.4

298.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.32 ₽194

40.52%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.99 ₽166

109.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.13 ₽1,096

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.64 ₽554

113.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.85 ₽1,156

17.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.77 ₽148

144.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.59 ₽133

-8.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.56 ₽131

189.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.79 ₽233

55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.52 ₽43.44

396.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.49 ₽40.89

379.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.39 ₽116

28.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.84 ₽70.3

164.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.12 ₽261

216.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.57 ₽716

75.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.16 ₽96.8

151.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.62 ₽219

32.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.41 ₽33.93

263.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$17.67 ₽1,475

136.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.93 ₽77.2

193.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.34 ₽529

456.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.77 ₽64.3

23.38%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$49.2K ₽4.1M

-26.68%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.8K ₽2.0M

13.63%

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

$229 $229

$120 ₽10.1K

90.08%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.85 ₽488

915.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$9.19 ₽767

660.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.94 ₽3,918

21.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$23.36 ₽1,950

-30.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$3.60 ₽301

296.67%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$327 ₽27.3K

359.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$95.1 ₽7,939

-44.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.34 ₽2,950

24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$180 ₽15.0K

-52.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$90.4 ₽7,548

13.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$293 ₽24.5K

550.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$218 ₽18.2K

485.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$598 ₽49.9K

512.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$355 ₽29.6K

615.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,474 ₽123.0K

416.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,261 ₽105.2K

150.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$639 ₽53.3K

701.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

23.12

-70.63%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kaluga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kaluga

$218 22% 82.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kaluga

$238 24.1% 41.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kaluga

$136 13.7% 62.2% $223

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kaluga

$143 14.4% 59.7% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kaluga

$180 18.3% 40.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kaluga

$54 5.5% 36.9% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kaluga

$20 * 2.1% 65.5% $38

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 $293 in Kaluga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 702% 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 $36.00 in Kaluga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $238 per month, with Kaluga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

331,842

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Kaluga 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kaluga

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 Kaluga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaluga wins on cost – living expenses run 169% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaluga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 702% 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 $293 in Kaluga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $988 in Kaluga – a 169% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kaluga runs roughly 136% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $988 in Kaluga versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaluga but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kaluga 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 Kaluga 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 Kaluga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.