Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Maroochydore

For one person, living is cheaper in Maroochydore: $2,355 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Maroochydore
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Maroochydore Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Maroochydore

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,355 in Maroochydore.

Austin, TX $2,663
Maroochydore $2,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,592 in Maroochydore.

Austin, TX $4,133
Maroochydore $3,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,828 in Maroochydore.

Austin, TX $5,603
Maroochydore $4,828

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 13% more expensive than in Maroochydore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Maroochydore 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.05 A$20.13

47.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$95.7 A$137

-11.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.04 A$12.95

36.28%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.77 A$5.40

49.34%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.58 A$3.70

44.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.14 A$3.07

16.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.10 A$5.88

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.45 A$10.67

20.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 A$2.22

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.61 A$3.73

43.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.38 A$3.41

36.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.76 A$6.81

-12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.70 A$12.47

48.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.20 A$13.18

53.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.88 A$21.31

9.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.90 A$5.58

11.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.12 A$4.46

-53.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.58 A$3.69

74.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.73 A$5.34

16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.60 A$3.73

-0.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.10 A$3.02

11.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.53 A$3.63

-29.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.48 A$2.12

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$23.93 A$34.28

-58.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.54 A$15.10

43.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$5.98 A$8.56

-51.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$5.78 A$8.28

-40.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.67 A$0.95

122.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$72.2 A$103

-42.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.01 A$2.88

35.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.47 A$2.11

12.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$36.38 A$52.1

-2.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.37 A$1.96

-30.66%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.8K A$38.3K

34.75%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.3K A$33.3K

16.45%

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

$229 $229

$217 A$310

5.70%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$30.09 A$43.10

97.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$54.3 A$77.8

28.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$57.1 A$81.7

0.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.66 A$25.30

-7.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$13.18 A$18.88

8.35%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$2,157 A$3,091

-30.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.8K A$16.9K

82.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$76.5 A$110

-30.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$53.7 A$76.9

-18.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$105 A$150

-19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$121 A$173

-14.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,164 A$1,668

63.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,131 A$1,620

12.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,054 A$2,942

78.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$2,024 A$2,899

25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$6,041 A$8,653

26.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,962 A$8,541

-47.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,836 A$4,062

80.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.69

19.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maroochydore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Maroochydore

$1.1K 48% 11.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Maroochydore

$356 15.1% 11.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Maroochydore

$301 12.8% 16% $57

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Maroochydore

$239 10.2% 32.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Maroochydore

$160 6.8% 25.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Maroochydore

$83 3.5% 2.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Maroochydore

$84 3.6% 43.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,164 in Maroochydore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 81% 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 $96.0 in Maroochydore. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $356, with Maroochydore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Maroochydore

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

15 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

18,342

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Maroochydore 13,190 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Maroochydore

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 Maroochydore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maroochydore wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Maroochydore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $1,164 in Maroochydore. 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 $2,355 in Maroochydore – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Maroochydore runs roughly 73% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,355 in Maroochydore versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Maroochydore but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Maroochydore 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 Maroochydore 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 Maroochydore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.