Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lake Macquarie

For one person, living is cheaper in Lake Macquarie: $2,211 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Lake Macquarie
Learn more

Lake Macquarie Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Lake Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lake Macquarie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,211 in Lake Macquarie.

Austin, TX $2,663
Lake Macquarie $2,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,516 in Lake Macquarie.

Austin, TX $4,133
Lake Macquarie $3,516

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,821 in Lake Macquarie.

Austin, TX $5,603
Lake Macquarie $4,821

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lake Macquarie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Lake Macquarie 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.09 A$24.48

21.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$85.1 A$122

-0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$10.24 A$14.67

20.31%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.58 A$5.13

57.26%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.12 A$4.47

19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.07 A$2.97

20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.07 A$10.12

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.10 A$10.17

26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.15 A$1.65

-2.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.45 A$2.08

158.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.61 A$2.31

102.48%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.13 A$4.48

33.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.95 A$11.39

62.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.47 A$10.70

89.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.57 A$18.01

29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.01 A$4.32

43.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.57 A$3.69

-43.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.54 A$3.64

77.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.73 A$5.35

16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.29 A$3.28

12.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.08 A$2.98

12.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.71 A$2.46

4.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.59 A$2.27

39.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$28.25 A$40.47

-65.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.05 A$11.53

87.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.80 A$4.02

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.27 A$3.25

52.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.58 A$3.70

-42.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$80.5 A$115

-48.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.11 A$3.02

29.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$3.10 A$4.44

-46.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$58.4 A$83.7

-39.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.38 A$1.97

-31.16%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.6K A$39.6K

30.42%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.7K A$35.4K

9.62%

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

$229 $229

$231 A$331

-0.84%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.95 A$15.69

442.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$41.65 A$59.7

67.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$54.6 A$78.3

4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.33 A$24.83

-5.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.41 A$13.47

51.75%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,486 A$2,128

1.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$18.6K A$26.6K

15.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$69.8 A$100.0

-24.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.77 A$51.2

22.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$97.0 A$139

-12.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$108 A$154

-4.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,375 A$1,970

38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,051 A$1,505

21.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,182 A$3,125

67.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,210 A$3,166

14.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,048 A$7,232

50.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,001 A$7,164

-36.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$5,002 A$7,166

2.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.35

56.09%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Lake Macquarie

$1.1K 47.5% 17.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Lake Macquarie

$275 12.4% 32.1% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Lake Macquarie

$284 12.8% 20.9% $75

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Lake Macquarie

$281 12.7% 20.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Lake Macquarie

$140 6.3% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lake Macquarie

$73 3.3% 14.4% $12

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Lake Macquarie

$108 4.9% 84.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,375 in Lake Macquarie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2% 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 $85.0 in Lake Macquarie. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $275, with Lake Macquarie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Lake Macquarie

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

09:17 9:17 AM

16 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,059

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Lake Macquarie 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
Lake Macquarie

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 Lake Macquarie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Macquarie wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lake Macquarie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% 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 $1,375 in Lake Macquarie. 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 $2,211 in Lake Macquarie – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lake Macquarie runs roughly 93% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,211 in Lake Macquarie versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Lake Macquarie but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lake Macquarie 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 Lake Macquarie 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 Lake Macquarie gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.