Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Manukau

For one person, living is cheaper in Manukau: $1,753 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,753 in Manukau.

Austin, TX $2,663
Manukau $1,753

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,707 in Manukau.

Austin, TX $4,133
Manukau $2,707

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,661 in Manukau.

Austin, TX $5,603
Manukau $3,661

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 52% more expensive than in Manukau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Manukau 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.90 NZ$21.04

74.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$67.2 NZ$119

25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.35 NZ$14.77

47.54%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.39 NZ$6.00

66.08%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.00 NZ$3.54

86.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.74 NZ$3.07

43.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.11 NZ$10.80

31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.56 NZ$9.83

62.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.41 NZ$2.50

-20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.29 NZ$2.28

190.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.80 NZ$3.18

81.11%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.19 NZ$9.18

-19.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.64 NZ$9.97

128.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.23 NZ$12.79

95.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.66 NZ$20.63

39.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.56 NZ$4.52

69.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-28.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.92 NZ$5.16

54.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.65 NZ$9.99

-23.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.95 NZ$3.45

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.37 NZ$2.42

71.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.98 NZ$3.51

-10.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.90 NZ$1.60

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$25.28 NZ$44.71

-60.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.13 NZ$17.91

48.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.83 NZ$5.00

3.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.33 NZ$5.89

3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-15.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$91.2 NZ$161

-54.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.28 NZ$4.04

19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.98 NZ$3.50

-16.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$31.55 NZ$55.8

11.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.70 NZ$3.01

-44.12%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$24.8K NZ$43.8K

45.41%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.3K NZ$39.4K

21.52%

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

$229 $229

$56.2 NZ$99.3

307.75%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.35 NZ$46.60

125.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$49.91 NZ$88.3

40.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.03 NZ$67.3

50.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$12.81 NZ$22.65

11.48%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$675 NZ$1,194

123.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$19.7K NZ$34.8K

9.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$61.8 NZ$109

-14.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.04 NZ$65.5

18.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$93.3 NZ$165

-9.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$110 NZ$194

-6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$956 NZ$1,690

99.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$817 NZ$1,444

56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,595 NZ$2,821

129.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,443 NZ$2,552

75.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,910 NZ$8,683

55.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,309 NZ$5,852

-4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,744 NZ$3,085

193.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.9

15.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Manukau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Manukau

$817 46.6% 35.9% $458

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Manukau

$276 15.8% 31.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Manukau

$132 7.6% 63% $226

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Manukau

$218 12.4% 38.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Manukau

$136 7.8% 6.2% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Manukau

$64 3.6% 25.8% $22

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Manukau

$110 6.3% 88.2% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $956 in Manukau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 194% 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 $67.0 in Manukau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $276 per month, with Manukau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Manukau

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

11:44 11:44 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

362,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Manukau 11,780 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Manukau

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 Manukau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manukau wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Manukau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 194% 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 $956 in Manukau. 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 $1,753 in Manukau – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Manukau runs roughly 119% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,753 in Manukau versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Manukau but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Manukau 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 Manukau 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 Manukau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.