Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Monaghan

For one person, living is cheaper in Monaghan: $2,403 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Monaghan
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Monaghan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monaghan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,403 in Monaghan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Monaghan $2,403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,383 in Monaghan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Monaghan $3,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,363 in Monaghan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Monaghan $4,363

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 11% more expensive than in Monaghan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Monaghan 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$17.59 €15.64

18.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$57.5 €51.1

47.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$12.07 €10.74

2.07%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.33 €3.85

30.02%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.82 €2.50

31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.15 €1.91

16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.85 €6.09

17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.76 €6.01

33.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.59 €1.42

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.18 €1.94

72.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.95 €1.74

67.18%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.29 €3.81

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.10 €8.98

27.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$12.81 €11.40

10.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.64 €12.13

18.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.07 €2.73

41.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.25 €2.00

-35.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.04 €2.70

48.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$4.81 €4.28

-9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.08 €1.85

24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.48 €1.31

58.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.30 €1.15

36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.06 €1.83

7.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$20.42 €18.16

-51.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.17 €11.71

14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.93 €2.60

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.55 €3.16

-2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.65 €2.36

-43.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.09 €4.53

-46.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.49 €1.32

11.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$35.36 €31.45

-0.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.91 €1.70

-50.26%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$39.2K €34.8K

-7.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$37.7K €33.6K

-28.24%

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

$229 $229

$236 €210

-3.04%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$19.05 €16.94

211.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$51.5 €45.76

35.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$57.9 €51.5

-1.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$13.65 €12.14

4.62%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,018 €906

47.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,685 €5,057

277.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$93.9 €83.5

-43.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.80 €40.74

-4.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$110 €97.5

-22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$123 €109

-16.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,304 €1,160

46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,174 €1,044

8.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,213 €1,969

65.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,762 €1,567

44.05%

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

$3,880 €3,450

31.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.14

64.01%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monaghan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Monaghan

$1.2K 48.9% 7.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Monaghan

$350 14.6% 13.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Monaghan

$307 12.8% 14.4% $52

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Monaghan

$297 12.3% 16.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Monaghan

$167 7% 30.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Monaghan

$85 3.6% 0.6% $0.6

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Monaghan

$23 * 1% 60.6% $36

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 $1,304 in Monaghan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 32% 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 $57.0 in Monaghan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $350 per month, with Monaghan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇮🇪 Monaghan

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

7,700

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Monaghan 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Monaghan

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 Monaghan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monaghan wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monaghan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $1,304 in Monaghan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,018 in Monaghan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monaghan – a meal for two runs $57.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,403 in Monaghan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Monaghan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monaghan 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 Monaghan 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 Monaghan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.