Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,009 in Makhachkala.

Austin, TX $2,663
Makhachkala $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,562 in Makhachkala.

Austin, TX $4,133
Makhachkala $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,115 in Makhachkala.

Austin, TX $5,603
Makhachkala $2,115

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 164% more expensive than in Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Makhachkala is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.20 ₽851

103.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.73 ₽2,648

166.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.48 ₽457

124.82%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.65 ₽221

112.45%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.17 ₽98.0

217.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.61 ₽51.1

309.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.94 ₽162

314.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.94 ₽246

206.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.10 ₽91.6

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.71 ₽58.9

428.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.41 ₽118

131.21%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.53 ₽127

172.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.99 ₽917

17.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.39 ₽450

162.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.03 ₽921

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.70 ₽142

154.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.75 ₽146

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.75 ₽146

157.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.78 ₽232

56.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.81 ₽67.4

218.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.61 ₽51.1

285.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.23 ₽103

44.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.74 ₽61.8

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.33 ₽278

196.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.92 ₽661

90.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.10 ₽91.4

165.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.02 ₽168

71.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.54 ₽44.80

175.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.70 ₽225

1.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.40 ₽33.48

315.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.71 ₽477

518.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.84 ₽70.2

13.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-12.01%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$37.4K ₽3.1M

-27.52%

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

$229 $229

$110 ₽9,172

108.38%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.49 ₽458

981.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.44 ₽705

728.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$35.62 ₽2,973

60.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$23.57 ₽1,967

-30.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.13 ₽512

132.95%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$348 ₽29.1K

332.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,288 ₽441.3K

305.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$80.1 ₽6,688

-34.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$54.1 ₽4,518

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$102 ₽8,539

-17.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$112 ₽9,353

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$460 ₽38.4K

314.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$315 ₽26.3K

304.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$891 ₽74.4K

311.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$556 ₽46.4K

356.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,226 ₽185.8K

241.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,492 ₽124.5K

111.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$622 ₽51.9K

723.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

21.45

-68.34%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Makhachkala

$315 31.2% 75.3% $959

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Makhachkala

$206 20.4% 49.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Makhachkala

$124 12.3% 65.4% $234

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Makhachkala

$153 15.1% 56.9% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Makhachkala

$157 15.6% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Makhachkala

$48 4.8% 44.2% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7% 88.3% $52

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $460 in Makhachkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 723% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $206 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

12:12 12:12 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

604,266

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Austin, TX Makhachkala 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makhachkala wins on cost – living expenses run 164% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makhachkala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 723% 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 $460 in Makhachkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $348 in Makhachkala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Makhachkala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.