Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lewiston, ID

For one person, living is cheaper in Lewiston, ID: $2,119 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Lewiston, ID
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Lewiston, ID Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Lewiston, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Lewiston, ID

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,119 in Lewiston, ID.

Austin, TX $2,698
Lewiston, ID $2,119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,195 in Lewiston, ID.

Austin, TX $4,160
Lewiston, ID $3,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,270 in Lewiston, ID.

Austin, TX $5,622
Lewiston, ID $4,270

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 27% more expensive than in Lewiston, ID, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Lewiston, ID 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$19.87 $19.87

3.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$58.6 $58.6

44.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.09 $13.09

-7.79%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$5.98 $5.98

-8.36%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.95 $2.95

28.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.20 $2.20

12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.91 $5.91

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$6.91 $6.91

28.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.08 $1.08

2.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.45 $3.45

7.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$4.22 $4.22

-20.14%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.22 $4.22

2.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.79 $12.79

2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$10.61 $10.61

33.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.82 $16.82

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.34 $4.34

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 $1.63

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$4.30 $4.30

9.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.77 $4.77

-13.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.88 $2.88

-10.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$3.17 $3.17

-25.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.17 $2.17

-18.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.29 $2.29

-6.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$9.34 $9.34

8.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$16.82 $16.82

-9.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.14 $2.14

31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.35 $3.35

2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.24 $2.24

-31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.03 $3.03

-7.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.67 $1.67

-4.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$27.90 $27.90

23.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.91 $0.91

3.30%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$25.8K $25.8K

31.69%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.8K $23.8K

12.31%

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

$223 $223

$219 $219

1.54%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$66.9 $66.9

-11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$70.1 $70.1

0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$37.90 $37.90

52.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$13.27 $13.27

7.46%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$1,455 $1,455

3.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$24.4K $24.4K

-14.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$59.1 $59.1

-13.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$35.32 $35.32

25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$96.3 $96.3

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$127 $127

-17.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,036 $1,036

87.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$805 $805

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,738 $1,738

110.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,488 $1,488

72.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,907 $2,907

153.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,348 $2,348

33.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,623 $2,623

101.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.54

-9.95%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lewiston, ID: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Lewiston, ID

$805 38% 38.8% $511

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Lewiston, ID

$396 18.7% 2.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Lewiston, ID

$356 16.8% 1.2% $4.1

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Lewiston, ID

$334 15.8% 4.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Lewiston, ID

$143 6.8% 10.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lewiston, ID

$64 3% 25.3% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Lewiston, ID

$20 * 1% 64.8% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,036 in Lewiston, ID. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 102% 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 $59.0 in Lewiston, ID for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $396 per month, with Lewiston, ID cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇸 Lewiston, ID

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

2 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

36,226

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Lewiston, ID 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lewiston, ID

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 Lewiston, ID: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lewiston, ID wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lewiston, ID the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 102% 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 $1,036 in Lewiston, ID. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $1,455 in Lewiston, ID. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Lewiston, ID – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,119 in Lewiston, ID versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lewiston, ID but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lewiston, ID 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 Lewiston, ID gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.