Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
Learn more

Karaganda Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $926 in Karaganda.

Austin, TX $2,663
Karaganda $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,492 in Karaganda.

Austin, TX $4,133
Karaganda $1,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,058 in Karaganda.

Austin, TX $5,603
Karaganda $2,058

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 188% more expensive than in Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Karaganda is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.85 ₸4,452

110.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.09 ₸15.9K

141.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.43 ₸2,453

126.89%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.92 ₸869

193.23%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.91 ₸413

308.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.64 ₸290

290.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.36 ₸617

491.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.80 ₸1,267

221.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 ₸605

-16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.49 ₸222

665.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.32 ₸597

146.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.79 ₸808

132.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.12 ₸5,929

-1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.40 ₸2,442

162.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.19 ₸5,060

44.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.49 ₸673

190.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.89 ₸856

-22.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.87 ₸1,299

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.17 ₸979

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.67 ₸301

285.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.59 ₸267

298.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.03 ₸467

72.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.69 ₸310

221.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.25 ₸1,016

339.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.43 ₸3,813

78.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.35 ₸610

116.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.12 ₸957

63.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.21 ₸94.9

609.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$15.75 ₸7,119

164.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.26 ₸568

116.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.20 ₸541

38.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$3.31 ₸1,496

966.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.56 ₸254

69.64%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.0K ₸10.0M

63.49%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.9K ₸14.4M

-15.25%

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

$229 $229

$72.2 ₸32.7K

216.99%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.01 ₸4,523

493.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$11.86 ₸5,360

489.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.00 ₸20.8K

24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$18.82 ₸8,505

-13.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.34 ₸2,416

167.42%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$135 ₸60.8K

1019.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$58.9 ₸26.6K

-10.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$57.8 ₸26.1K

-24.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.1 ₸35.8K

7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$85.6 ₸38.7K

20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$394 ₸178.2K

383.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$273 ₸123.2K

367.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$738 ₸333.5K

396.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$536 ₸242.3K

373.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,053 ₸476.1K

622.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$711 ₸321.5K

343.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$569 ₸257.3K

799.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

19.25

-64.73%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Karaganda

$273 29.5% 78.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Karaganda

$215 23.2% 46.8% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 73.7% $264

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Karaganda

$137 14.8% 61.3% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Karaganda

$57 6.1% 33.9% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 59.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $394 in Karaganda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 800% 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 $35.00 in Karaganda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $215 per month, with Karaganda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

11 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

520,486

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

KZT to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Karaganda 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karaganda wins on cost – living expenses run 188% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karaganda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 800% 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 $394 in Karaganda. 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 $926 in Karaganda – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Karaganda runs roughly 165% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $926 in Karaganda versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Karaganda but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Karaganda 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 Karaganda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.