Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Ndola

For one person, living is cheaper in Ndola: $726 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $726 in Ndola.

Austin, TX $2,663
Ndola $726

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

Austin, TX $4,133
Ndola $1,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,750 in Ndola.

Austin, TX $5,603
Ndola $2,750

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 267% more expensive than in Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Ndola is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$5.52 ZMW 110

276.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.75 ZMW 612

175.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.94 ZMW 98.2

149.39%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.75 ZMW 54.7

104.73%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.52 ZMW 10.38

615.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.26 ZMW 5.20

861.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.28 ZMW 25.38

528.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.22 ZMW 44.18

305.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.60 ZMW 31.86

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.13 ZMW 22.44

231.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.01 ZMW 40.08

62.19%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.62 ZMW 32.27

157.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.37 ZMW 206

24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.48 ZMW 129

118.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.45 ZMW 128

151.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.55 ZMW 30.81

179.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.38 ZMW 47.28

-38.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.70 ZMW 73.6

21.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.50 ZMW 29.93

189.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.59 ZMW 51.6

-0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.88 ZMW 37.49

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.12 ZMW 22.20

58.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.62 ZMW 12.35

258.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.08 ZMW 61.3

220.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.98 ZMW 198

51.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.42 ZMW 28.17

105.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.27 ZMW 45.20

52.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.73 ZMW 14.59

104.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.60 ZMW 51.6

5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.47 ZMW 29.15

12.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$5.13 ZMW 102

588.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 ZMW 26.57

-29.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$7,515 ZMW 149.5K

379.67%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.1K ZMW 538.2K

0.05%

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

$229 $229

$81.5 ZMW 1,622

180.87%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$10.36 ZMW 206

473.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$55.4 ZMW 1,102

26.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.10 ZMW 121

134.10%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$138 ZMW 2,743

992.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.4K ZMW 326.7K

30.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$23.72 ZMW 472

122.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$15.32 ZMW 305

186.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$45.00 ZMW 895

88.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$72.1 ZMW 1,434

42.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$176 ZMW 3,508

981.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$153 ZMW 3,050

730.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$384 ZMW 7,630

855.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,503 ZMW 29.9K

68.87%

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

$602 ZMW 12.0K

751.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-76.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Ndola

$153 21.1% 88% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Ndola

$224 30.9% 44.6% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Ndola

$147 20.3% 58.9% $211

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Ndola

$106 14.6% 70.1% $248

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Ndola

$70 9.7% 45.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 85.8% $74

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 78.1% $46

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 $176 in Ndola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 751% 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 $31.00 in Ndola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $224 per month, with Ndola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

455,194

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

ZMW to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Ndola 14,210 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Ndola

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 Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ndola wins on cost – living expenses run 267% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ndola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 751% 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 $176 in Ndola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $138 in Ndola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ndola – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $726 in Ndola versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ndola but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Ndola 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 Ndola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 267% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.