Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Montana

For one person, living is cheaper in Montana: $833 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 Montana
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Montana Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Montana

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $833 in Montana.

Austin, TX $2,663
Montana $833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,339 in Montana.

Austin, TX $4,133
Montana $1,339

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,846 in Montana.

Austin, TX $5,603
Montana $1,846

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.04 BGN 15.83

129.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$36.16 BGN 63.3

133.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.85 BGN 17.24

25.08%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.39 BGN 2.43

305.04%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.38 BGN 2.42

169.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.11 BGN 1.94

125.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.28 BGN 2.24

528.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.01 BGN 1.77

792.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.00 BGN 1.76

275.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.10 BGN 3.68

55.24%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.72 BGN 4.77

53.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.73 BGN 17.03

32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.25 BGN 5.68

335.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.63 BGN 22.10

28.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.21 BGN 2.12

257.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.78 BGN 3.12

-17.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.76 BGN 3.07

156.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.56 BGN 4.49

69.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.70 BGN 1.23

268.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.93 BGN 1.62

152.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.90 BGN 1.58

97.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.49 BGN 0.86

353.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.68 BGN 6.44

168.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.31 BGN 11.04

138.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.89 BGN 1.55

228.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.12 BGN 1.97

208.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.89 BGN 1.56

67.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$24.29 BGN 42.50

71.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.66 BGN 1.15

313.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.47 BGN 0.83

253.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.36 BGN 18.12

240.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.58 BGN 2.76

-39.87%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K BGN 34.3K

83.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.7K BGN 41.5K

14.30%

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

$229 $229

$99.8 BGN 175

129.52%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$18.72 BGN 32.77

217.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.52 BGN 14.90

720.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$29.86 BGN 52.3

91.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.20 BGN 30.10

-5.06%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.31 BGN 9.29

168.93%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$522 BGN 914

188.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,479 BGN 9,589

291.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$67.8 BGN 119

-22.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$42.05 BGN 73.6

4.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$94.7 BGN 166

-10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$105 BGN 183

-1.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$214 BGN 374

792.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$160 BGN 280

696.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$404 BGN 707

807.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$304 BGN 532

735.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,329 BGN 2,326

472.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,078 BGN 1,886

192.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$992 BGN 1,737

416.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.1

119.03%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Montana

$160 19.2% 87.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Montana

$199 23.9% 50.8% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Montana

$127 15.2% 64.6% $231

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Montana

$137 16.4% 61.3% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Montana

$139 16.7% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Montana

$40 4.9% 52.8% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Montana

$31 3.7% 47.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $214 in Montana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 416% 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 $36.00 in Montana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $199 per month, with Montana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇬 Montana

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

00:23 12:23 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

44,502

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Montana 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Montana

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 Montana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montana 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 Montana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 416% 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 $214 in Montana. 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 $833 in Montana – a 220% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montana runs roughly 72% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $833 in Montana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Montana but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Montana 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 Montana 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.