Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kiruna

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiruna: $1,747 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Kiruna
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Kiruna Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Kiruna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,747 in Kiruna.

Austin, TX $2,698
Kiruna $1,747

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,915 in Kiruna.

Austin, TX $4,160
Kiruna $2,915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,082 in Kiruna.

Austin, TX $5,622
Kiruna $4,082

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 54% more expensive than in Kiruna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Kiruna 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$13.82 SEK 137

49.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$128 SEK 1,270

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.40 SEK 103

16.06%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.33 SEK 42.90

26.56%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.69 SEK 26.70

41.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.26 SEK 22.37

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$9.54 SEK 94.5

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$6.59 SEK 65.3

34.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.45 SEK 14.34

-23.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.80 SEK 27.79

32.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.72 SEK 36.83

-9.41%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.55 SEK 35.18

21.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.29 SEK 122

6.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$13.80 SEK 137

2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$19.62 SEK 194

-16.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.79 SEK 27.66

63.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.53 SEK 25.12

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.61 SEK 25.90

80.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.40 SEK 43.63

-5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.47 SEK 14.58

75.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.59 SEK 15.77

47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.01 SEK 19.93

-11.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.56 SEK 15.46

37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$6.46 SEK 64.0

56.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$9.69 SEK 96.1

56.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.98 SEK 19.65

42.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.99 SEK 19.75

72.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.22 SEK 31.95

-52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$79.4 SEK 787

-48.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.85 SEK 57.9

-52.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.68 SEK 16.68

-4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$56.9 SEK 563

-39.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.11 SEK 20.90

-55.45%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$31.3K SEK 310.1K

8.57%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$33.3K SEK 329.6K

-19.53%

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

$223 $223

$95.9 SEK 951

132.07%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$24.86 SEK 246

136.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$35.94 SEK 356

96.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$37.74 SEK 374

52.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$25.04 SEK 248

-33.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$15.92 SEK 158

-10.43%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$152 SEK 1,506

894.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,610 SEK 55.6K

272.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$100 SEK 993

-48.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$44.87 SEK 445

-1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$81.8 SEK 810

6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$139 SEK 1,378

-24.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$812 SEK 8,047

138.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$610 SEK 6,043

115.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,363 SEK 13.5K

168.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

128.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,456 SEK 34.2K

112.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,527 SEK 25.0K

23.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$3,257 SEK 32.3K

62.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

69.75%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Kiruna

$610 34.9% 53.7% $706

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Kiruna

$366 20.9% 9.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Kiruna

$157 9% 55.5% $195

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Kiruna

$274 15.7% 21.6% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Kiruna

$165 9.4% 27.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kiruna

$70 4% 19.3% $17

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Kiruna

$107 6.1% 83.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $812 in Kiruna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 62% 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 $128 in Kiruna. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $366, with Kiruna cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇸🇪 Kiruna

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

22,454

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

SEK to USD in detail →

On the map

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Austin, TX Kiruna 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kiruna

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 Kiruna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiruna wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kiruna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $812 in Kiruna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,747 in Kiruna – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kiruna runs roughly 94% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,747 in Kiruna versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Kiruna but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kiruna 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 Kiruna 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 Kiruna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.