Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Longyearbyen

For one person, living costs are similar in Austin, TX and in Longyearbyen: $2,663 and $2,733 a month, rent and utilities included.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen.

Austin, TX $2,663
Longyearbyen $2,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,180 in Longyearbyen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Longyearbyen $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $5,627 in Longyearbyen.

Austin, TX $5,603
Longyearbyen $5,627

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 3% less than in Longyearbyen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Longyearbyen 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$20.05 NOK 189

3.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$106 NOK 996

-20.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$18.00 NOK 169

-31.56%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-17.81%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$6.11 NOK 57.5

-39.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$5.58 NOK 52.5

-55.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.43 NOK 70.0

8.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$8.96 NOK 84.3

0.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.40 NOK 22.57

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.71 NOK 34.95

1.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.33 NOK 40.78

-24.71%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.97 NOK 46.82

-16.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.26 NOK 134

-9.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$20.30 NOK 191

-30.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$31.52 NOK 297

-48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.42 NOK 60.5

-32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.55 NOK 24.03

-42.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$6.85 NOK 64.5

-34.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.66 NOK 62.7

-34.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$5.49 NOK 51.7

-53.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$4.53 NOK 42.66

-48.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$4.51 NOK 42.50

-60.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.53 NOK 33.23

-37.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$17.34 NOK 163

-43.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.45 NOK 136

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.54 NOK 33.31

-17.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.24 NOK 39.93

-18.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$5.27 NOK 49.65

-71.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$86.2 NOK 811

-51.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$9.06 NOK 85.3

-69.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.80 NOK 16.93

-7.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$73.7 NOK 694

-52.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.13 NOK 20.05

-55.40%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

-28.27%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

-34.47%

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

$229 $229

$242 NOK 2,274

-5.20%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.99 NOK 311

80.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.1 NOK 509

29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$50.5 NOK 475

13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$36.19 NOK 341

-54.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$14.85 NOK 140

-3.84%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$200 NOK 1,887

651.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

50.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$104 NOK 981

-49.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$56.3 NOK 530

-22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$125 NOK 1,179

-32.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$154 NOK 1,447

-33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

72.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,017 NOK 9,569

25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

84.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

49.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

22.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

-21.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

74.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.94

37.45%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2% 20.2% $258

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5% 44.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Longyearbyen

$329 12% 8.3% $30

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6% 12.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2% 54.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9% 6.5% $5.6

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6% 114% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,104 in Longyearbyen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $106 in Longyearbyen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $586 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,400

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

NOK to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Longyearbyen 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Longyearbyen

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 Longyearbyen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Longyearbyen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $1,104 in Longyearbyen. 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 $2,733 in Longyearbyen – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 107% less than in Longyearbyen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Longyearbyen 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.