Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Nelson

For one person, living is cheaper in Nelson: $1,833 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
90

Cost of Living Index in Nelson
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Nelson Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Nelson

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,833

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,833 in Nelson.

Austin, TX $2,663
Nelson $1,833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,842 in Nelson.

Austin, TX $4,133
Nelson $2,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,852 in Nelson.

Austin, TX $5,603
Nelson $3,852

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 45% more expensive than in Nelson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Nelson 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.86 NZ$24.51

49.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$64.6 NZ$114

30.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.53 NZ$15.08

44.43%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.24 NZ$5.74

73.77%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.72 NZ$3.04

116.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.65 NZ$2.91

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$7.13 NZ$12.61

12.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.53 NZ$9.79

62.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.90 NZ$3.36

-41.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.05 NZ$3.63

82.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.83 NZ$3.24

78.14%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.70 NZ$10.08

-26.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$9.09 NZ$16.08

41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.34 NZ$12.98

92.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.70 NZ$24.22

18.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.08 NZ$5.45

40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.19 NZ$3.88

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.06 NZ$5.41

47.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.61 NZ$9.92

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.05 NZ$3.63

25.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.28 NZ$2.27

83.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.97 NZ$3.48

-9.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.01 NZ$1.79

119.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$24.79 NZ$43.85

-60.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.44 NZ$16.69

59.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.06 NZ$5.41

-4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.75 NZ$4.86

25.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.22 NZ$3.92

-32.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.82 NZ$3.21

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$33.41 NZ$59.1

5.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.61 NZ$2.85

-40.99%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.1K NZ$30.2K

110.98%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.9K NZ$38.7K

23.56%

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

$229 $229

$131 NZ$231

75.43%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.95 NZ$58.3

80.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$41.79 NZ$73.9

67.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$99.3 NZ$176

-42.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$33.61 NZ$59.4

-51.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.01 NZ$19.48

29.70%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$440 NZ$777

242.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.7K NZ$22.4K

69.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$52.4 NZ$92.6

0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.78 NZ$49.13

57.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$101 NZ$179

-16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$138 NZ$245

-25.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,000 NZ$1,769

90.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$795 NZ$1,406

60.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,704 NZ$3,014

114.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,456 NZ$2,574

74.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,374 NZ$2,430

454.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$827 NZ$1,462

281.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,017 NZ$3,568

153.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.39

25.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nelson: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Nelson

$795 43.4% 37.6% $479

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Nelson

$312 17% 22.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Nelson

$205 11.2% 42.7% $153

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Nelson

$236 12.9% 33.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Nelson

$144 7.9% 12.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Nelson

$121 6.6% 41.4% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Nelson

$20 * 1.1% 66.7% $39

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 $1,000 in Nelson. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 154% 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 $65.0 in Nelson for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $312 per month, with Nelson cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Nelson

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

51,100

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

NZD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Nelson 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Nelson

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 Nelson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nelson wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nelson the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 154% 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 $1,000 in Nelson. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $440 in Nelson. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nelson – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,833 in Nelson versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nelson but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.