Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $417 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Austin, TX $2,704
Kolkata (Calcutta) $417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $669 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Austin, TX $4,133
Kolkata (Calcutta) $669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $922 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Austin, TX $5,562
Kolkata (Calcutta) $922

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 548% more expensive than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kolkata (Calcutta) is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.04 ₹198

891.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$14.78 ₹1,430

475.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.26 ₹412

189.91%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$1.64 ₹159

233.54%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.48 ₹46.58

695.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.12 ₹11.89

1983.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.90 ₹184

324.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.13 ₹303

187.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.72 ₹69.3

56.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.46 ₹44.25

721.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.68 ₹65.5

377.94%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.03 ₹99.3

301.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$5.31 ₹514

146.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.04 ₹295

370.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.38 ₹230

84.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.79 ₹76.7

83.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.39 ₹134

226.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.61 ₹59.2

586.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.30 ₹29.22

776.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.40 ₹38.88

490.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.35 ₹33.52

402.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.26 ₹24.88

730.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.92 ₹476

99.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.34 ₹1,001

42.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.74 ₹168

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.70 ₹261

28.89%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.34 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.14 ₹13.90

964.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$3.19 ₹309

1169.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.76 ₹73.5

251.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.32 ₹31.19

393.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$1.52 ₹147

2221.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.08 ₹105

-8.33%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$15.8K ₹1.5M

126.52%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$22.7K ₹2.2M

19.75%

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

$219 $219

$52.5 ₹5,076

318.06%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$5.10 ₹494

1037.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$7.13 ₹690

858.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$15.73 ₹1,523

268.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$10.52 ₹1,018

40.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$3.33 ₹322

324.32%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$45.81 ₹4,433

3194.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,090 ₹202.2K

926.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$26.12 ₹2,528

97.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$25.89 ₹2,506

70.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$35.62 ₹3,448

138.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$27.81 ₹2,691

278.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$151 ₹14.6K

1181.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$95.4 ₹9,229

1234.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$399 ₹38.6K

820.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$204 ₹19.8K

1135.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$1,119 ₹108.3K

580.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$590 ₹57.1K

441.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$382 ₹36.9K

1237.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

9.04

-24.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$95 22.5% 92.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$116 27.4% 71.2% $287

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.8% 80.7% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.3% 81.3% $281

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$52 12.3% 59.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.3% 74% $64

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.1 1.5% 89.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1237% 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 $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $116 per month, with Kolkata (Calcutta) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,486,679

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

INR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kolkata (Calcutta) 14,100 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolkata (Calcutta) wins on cost – living expenses run 548% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kolkata (Calcutta) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1237% 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 $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). 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 $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – a 548% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kolkata (Calcutta) runs roughly 1170% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kolkata (Calcutta) but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kolkata (Calcutta) 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 548% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.