Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Mossel Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,103 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Mossel Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,103 in Mossel Bay.

Austin, TX $2,663
Mossel Bay $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,738 in Mossel Bay.

Austin, TX $4,133
Mossel Bay $1,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,374 in Mossel Bay.

Austin, TX $5,603
Mossel Bay $2,374

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 141% more expensive than in Mossel Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Mossel Bay is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$14.78 R 244

40.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$47.61 R 784

77.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.76 R 144

40.64%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.60 R 42.86

116.54%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.33 R 21.90

179.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.95 R 15.68

163.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.44 R 40.23

229.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.94 R 48.42

206.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.12 R 18.39

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.08 R 17.83

247.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.61 R 43.02

24.90%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.09 R 50.8

34.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.41 R 155

37.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.05 R 83.1

180.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.11 R 134

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.93 R 31.86

124.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.32 R 21.82

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.81 R 29.81

149.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.04 R 33.64

112.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.48 R 24.45

74.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.67 R 27.53

40.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.22 R 20.15

45.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.23 R 20.20

80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.58 R 59.0

175.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.93 R 81.2

205.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.13 R 35.10

37.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.95 R 32.09

77.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.42 R 23.39

4.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.55 R 9.09

396.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.92 R 15.22

80.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.94 R 180

222.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 R 23.89

-34.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$29.3K R 482.2K

23.17%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.8K R 457.3K

-2.46%

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

$229 $229

$109 R 1,797

109.99%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$18.50 R 305

221.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$42.39 R 698

64.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$21.17 R 349

170.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.96 R 181

49.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.13 R 117

100.28%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$224 R 3,687

572.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,534 R 91.2K

287.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$48.68 R 802

8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$20.49 R 338

113.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$99.6 R 1,641

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$68.0 R 1,120

51.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$505 R 8,319

277.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$368 R 6,066

246.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,031 R 17.0K

255.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$707 R 11.6K

259.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$599 R 9,866

1171.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$607 R 9,998

420.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,471 R 24.2K

248.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.75

-42.21%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Mossel Bay

$368 33.4% 71.1% $906

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Mossel Bay

$209 19% 48.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Mossel Bay

$170 15.4% 52.6% $188

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Mossel Bay

$203 18.4% 42.7% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Mossel Bay

$107 9.7% 16.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2% 58.7% $50

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1% 81.5% $48

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 $505 in Mossel Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 248% 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 $48.00 in Mossel Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $209 per month, with Mossel Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

09:57 9:57 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

60,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Mossel Bay 14,430 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Mossel Bay

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 Mossel Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mossel Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 141% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mossel Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 248% 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 $505 in Mossel Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $224 in Mossel Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mossel Bay – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,103 in Mossel Bay versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mossel Bay but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 141% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.