Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Monrovia

For one person, living is cheaper in Monrovia: $1,296 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,296

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,296 in Monrovia.

Austin, TX $2,704
Monrovia $1,296

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,926 in Monrovia.

Austin, TX $4,133
Monrovia $1,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,556 in Monrovia.

Austin, TX $5,562
Monrovia $2,556

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 109% more expensive than in Monrovia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Monrovia is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.33 LRD 1,248

175.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.87 LRD 1,850

13.62%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.96 LRD 505

84.80%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.01 LRD 343

90.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.04 LRD 348

22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.92 LRD 667

105.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.94 LRD 501

205.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.13 LRD 363

-46.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.81 LRD 308

108.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$5.11 LRD 870

-36.40%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.53 LRD 602

17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$7.82 LRD 1,332

67.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$12.03 LRD 2,048

18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.53 LRD 2,303

17.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.59 LRD 272

175.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$8.28 LRD 1,410

-82.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$10.11 LRD 1,721

-55.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$11.03 LRD 1,878

-62.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.25 LRD 384

16.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$10.54 LRD 1,795

-77.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$4.77 LRD 812

-63.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.06 LRD 350

4.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.87 LRD 829

101.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.16 LRD 1,219

105.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.43 LRD 413

14.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.44 LRD 586

1.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.04 LRD 518

-50.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$19.82 LRD 3,374

104.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.06 LRD 350

29.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.91 LRD 324

-17.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$25.14 LRD 4,280

40.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.22 LRD 208

-18.85%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.8K LRD 3.4M

80.44%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

84.72%

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

$219 $219

$149 LRD 25.4K

46.92%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$22.06 LRD 3,756

162.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$184 LRD 31.2K

-62.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$62.4 LRD 10.6K

-7.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$10.04 LRD 1,710

47.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.14 LRD 876

174.90%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$98.2 LRD 16.7K

1436.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,018 LRD 173.3K

2008.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$24.95 LRD 4,248

107.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$32.14 LRD 5,472

37.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$55.0 LRD 9,366

54.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$91.5 LRD 15.6K

15.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$253 LRD 43.1K

663.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$96.0 LRD 16.4K

1224.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$650 LRD 110.6K

464.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$267 LRD 45.5K

844.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$704 LRD 119.8K

625.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monrovia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Monrovia

$96 7.5% 92.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Monrovia

$456 35.6% 13.3% $54

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Monrovia

$169 13.1% 51.6% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Monrovia

$355 27.6% 2.7% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Monrovia

$92 7.1% 28.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Monrovia

$73 5.7% 15.7% $14

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Monrovia

$44 3.4% 23.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $253 in Monrovia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 626% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

5 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,010,970 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Liberian Dollar LRD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LRD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇷 Liberian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 170 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

LRD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Monrovia 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Monrovia

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 Monrovia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monrovia wins on cost – living expenses run 109% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monrovia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 626% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $253 in Monrovia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $98.2 in Monrovia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Monrovia runs roughly 104% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,296 in Monrovia versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monrovia but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monrovia 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.

Expats usually find Monrovia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.