Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Masterton

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $832 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $832 in Masterton.

Austin, TX $2,663
Masterton $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,432 in Masterton.

Austin, TX $4,133
Masterton $1,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,032 in Masterton.

Austin, TX $5,603
Masterton $2,032

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 220% more expensive than in Masterton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Masterton is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.54 NZ$16.88

117.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$64.9 NZ$115

30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.56 NZ$15.14

43.93%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.18 NZ$5.62

77.04%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.02 NZ$3.57

84.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.09 NZ$1.93

129.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.89 NZ$6.88

106.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.28 NZ$5.79

174.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.42 NZ$2.51

-21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.21 NZ$3.91

69.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.03 NZ$1.82

216.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$6.32 NZ$11.17

-34.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.29 NZ$14.65

55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.48 NZ$16.76

49.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.18 NZ$26.85

6.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.18 NZ$3.85

98.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.71 NZ$3.02

-14.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.98 NZ$5.27

51.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.58 NZ$8.11

-5.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.53 NZ$2.71

68.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.08 NZ$1.90

117.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.70 NZ$3.00

4.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 NZ$0.92

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$19.51 NZ$34.50

-49.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.21 NZ$19.83

34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.85 NZ$1.50

243.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.14 NZ$2.02

203.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-33.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.81 NZ$3.20

50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.75 NZ$3.09

-5.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$34.16 NZ$60.4

3.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.77 NZ$3.12

-46.33%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.0K NZ$39.0K

63.52%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K NZ$43.9K

9.05%

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

$229 $229

$55.0 NZ$97.3

316.12%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$29.34 NZ$51.9

102.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$52.8 NZ$93.3

32.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.79 NZ$73.9

36.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.51 NZ$15.06

91.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.68 NZ$17.12

47.52%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,056 NZ$1,868

42.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.7K NZ$22.5K

68.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.6 NZ$98.3

-4.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.59 NZ$48.79

58.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$102 NZ$181

-17.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$142 NZ$251

-27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,002 NZ$1,773

265.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,327 NZ$4,115

120.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.39

25.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Masterton: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Masterton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Masterton

$288 34.7% 28.8% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Masterton

$137 16.5% 61.7% $221

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Masterton

$179 21.5% 49.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Masterton

$147 17.7% 15.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Masterton

$61 7.4% 28.7% $25

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Masterton

$19 * 2.3% 66.9% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Austin, TX pays 120% 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 $65.0 in Masterton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $288 per month, with Masterton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Masterton

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

10:14 10:14 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

26,800

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Masterton 11,890 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Masterton

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 Masterton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton wins on cost – living expenses run 220% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Masterton the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 120% 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,056 in Masterton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Masterton – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $832 in Masterton versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton 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 Masterton 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 Masterton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 220% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.