Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Machakos

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $516 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $516 in Machakos.

Austin, TX $2,698
Machakos $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $797 in Machakos.

Austin, TX $4,160
Machakos $797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,078 in Machakos.

Austin, TX $5,622
Machakos $1,078

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 423% more expensive than in Machakos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Machakos is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.15 KES 408

554.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$18.98 KES 2,461

345.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$6.19 KES 803

94.99%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.98 KES 257

176.77%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.64 KES 83.0

493.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.54 KES 69.8

357.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.11 KES 273

281.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.71 KES 352

227.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.37 KES 48.53

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.44 KES 56.9

745.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.74 KES 95.4

355.41%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.36 KES 177

217.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$10.73 KES 1,391

22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$6.29 KES 815

124.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.55 KES 589

258.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.58 KES 205

187.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.73 KES 95.2

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$0.40 KES 52.4

1077.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$0.41 KES 53.1

912.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.80 KES 104

222.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.81 KES 104

190.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.68 KES 88.4

160.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.38 KES 49.11

463.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.51 KES 455

187.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.44 KES 1,483

32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.90 KES 247

48.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.80 KES 363

22.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.79 KES 103

254.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.78 KES 101

105.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$2.84 KES 368

1109.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.49 KES 193

-36.91%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

77.30%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

24.72%

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

$223 $223

$56.1 KES 7,279

296.60%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$7.82 KES 1,014

653.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.48 KES 1,488

514.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$38.18 KES 4,950

51.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$7.62 KES 987

87.14%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$45.44 KES 5,892

3224.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

70.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$11.34 KES 1,470

352.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$28.69 KES 3,719

53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$69.4 KES 8,991

25.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$38.50 KES 4,992

171.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$93.9 KES 12.2K

1965.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$68.7 KES 8,905

1816.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$154 KES 20.0K

2276.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$115 KES 15.0K

2122.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$383 KES 49.6K

1280.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

14.71

-53.84%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Machakos: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Machakos

$69 13.3% 94.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Machakos

$159 30.8% 60.8% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Machakos

$75 14.6% 78.6% $277

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Machakos

$88 17.1% 74.8% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Machakos

$67 12.9% 48.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Machakos

$53 10.4% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Machakos

$4.7 * 0.9% 91.9% $53

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 $93.9 in Machakos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1281% 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 $19.00 in Machakos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $159 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇪 Machakos

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

13:55 1:55 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

114,109

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

KES to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Machakos 14,300 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Machakos

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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 423% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1281% 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 $93.9 in Machakos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $45.44 in Machakos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Machakos – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $516 in Machakos versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos 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 Machakos 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 Machakos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 423% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.