Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Mangalia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangalia: $1,056 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,056 in Mangalia.

Austin, TX $2,663
Mangalia $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,639 in Mangalia.

Austin, TX $4,133
Mangalia $1,639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,222 in Mangalia.

Austin, TX $5,603
Mangalia $2,222

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 152% more expensive than in Mangalia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Mangalia is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.69 RON 55.3

77.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$45.26 RON 214

86.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.65 RON 36.19

61.05%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.99 RON 14.13

88.29%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.11 RON 9.98

76.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.07 RON 9.80

20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.53 RON 11.96

218.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.40 RON 16.10

165.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.62 RON 7.65

-30.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.13 RON 5.33

231.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.48 RON 6.98

120.27%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.10 RON 14.67

34.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.92 RON 37.47

62.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.77 RON 32.03

109.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.37 RON 44.35

73.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.30 RON 6.13

233.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.68 RON 7.96

-13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.45 RON 6.85

211.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.99 RON 9.42

118.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 RON 3.43

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 RON 3.57

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.68 RON 3.21

161.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.76 RON 3.58

192.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.25 RON 29.56

58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.41 RON 30.31

135.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.95 RON 4.49

207.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.39 RON 6.57

148.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.84 RON 3.95

77.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$19.86 RON 94.0

110.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.64 RON 3.03

326.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.61 RON 2.89

172.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.46 RON 30.55

446.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.80 RON 8.50

-47.22%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.7K RON 135.7K

25.73%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K RON 117.2K

9.33%

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

$229 $229

$162 RON 766

41.53%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.12 RON 28.98

870.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.86 RON 41.92

689.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.09 RON 180

50.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$21.13 RON 100.0

-22.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.39 RON 39.71

70.20%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$395 RON 1,869

281.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,724 RON 27.1K

274.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$73.6 RON 348

-28.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$41.69 RON 197

5.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$90.8 RON 429

-6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$94.6 RON 447

8.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$381 RON 1,801

401.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$274 RON 1,296

365.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$574 RON 2,716

538.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$478 RON 2,262

430.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,991 RON 9,419

282.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,331 RON 6,299

137.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$746 RON 3,528

586.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.85

-13.50%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mangalia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Mangalia

$274 26% 78.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Mangalia

$200 18.9% 50.7% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Mangalia

$177 16.7% 50.7% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Mangalia

$189 17.9% 46.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Mangalia

$135 12.8% 5.7% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Mangalia

$55 5.2% 36% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Mangalia

$27 2.6% 54.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $381 in Mangalia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 587% 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 $45.00 in Mangalia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $200 per month, with Mangalia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

36,364

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Mangalia 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Mangalia

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 Mangalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mangalia wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mangalia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 587% 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 $381 in Mangalia. 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 $1,056 in Mangalia – a 152% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mangalia runs roughly 110% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,056 in Mangalia versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mangalia but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mangalia 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 Mangalia 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 Mangalia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.