Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $481 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
Learn more

Kathmandu Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $481 in Kathmandu.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kathmandu $481

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $767 in Kathmandu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kathmandu $767

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,052 in Kathmandu.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kathmandu $1,052

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 462% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kathmandu is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$1.94 NPR 300

942.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$20.45 NPR 3,166

315.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.71 NPR 1,194

60.18%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.51 NPR 233

262.25%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.49 NPR 76.5

679.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.16 NPR 24.27

1462.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.04 NPR 471

165.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.27 NPR 507

174.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.76 NPR 118

48.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.62 NPR 96.4

509.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.85 NPR 131

282.35%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.65 NPR 255

150.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.15 NPR 1,107

82.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.18 NPR 492

350.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$5.93 NPR 917

169.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.02 NPR 313

116.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.16 NPR 179

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.43 NPR 222

217.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.53 NPR 82.5

690.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.38 NPR 59.1

592.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.53 NPR 82.6

345.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.45 NPR 69.6

291.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.22 NPR 33.95

881.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$2.48 NPR 385

295.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.83 NPR 1,212

87.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.29 NPR 355

21.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.08 NPR 476

12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.17 NPR 26.31

776.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$9.64 NPR 1,493

320.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.84 NPR 285

45.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.18 NPR 183

33.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.18 NPR 492

1009.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.33 NPR 207

-25.56%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.7K NPR 4.4M

24.86%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.0K NPR 5.6M

-24.54%

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

$219 $219

$31.63 NPR 4,896

593.23%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$3.48 NPR 538

1566.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$8.94 NPR 1,385

664.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$21.47 NPR 3,324

169.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$6.71 NPR 1,039

120.86%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$3.00 NPR 465

371.00%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$66.8 NPR 10.3K

2158.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,541 NPR 857.7K

287.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$24.59 NPR 3,807

110.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$26.39 NPR 4,085

66.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$63.1 NPR 9,764

34.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$28.31 NPR 4,382

271.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$216 NPR 33.5K

793.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$101 NPR 15.6K

1161.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$430 NPR 66.5K

754.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$198 NPR 30.6K

1176.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,248 NPR 348.0K

238.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,338 NPR 207.2K

139.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$264 NPR 40.9K

1829.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.72

-30.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kathmandu

$101 21% 92.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kathmandu

$144 30.1% 64.2% $259

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kathmandu

$81 16.9% 76.7% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kathmandu

$44 9.2% 87.3% $302

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kathmandu

$64 13.4% 50.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kathmandu

$27 5.7% 68.1% $59

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kathmandu

$18 3.8% 68.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $216 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1830% 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 $20.00 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $144 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

12:51 12:51 PM

10 h 45 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 155 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.46 USD). 1 EUR = 174 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.76 EUR).

NPR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Kathmandu 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kathmandu

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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 462% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1830% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $216 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $481 in Kathmandu – a 462% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kathmandu runs roughly 320% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $481 in Kathmandu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 462% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.