Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in New Plymouth: $1,821 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,821 in New Plymouth.

Austin, TX $2,663
New Plymouth $1,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,787 in New Plymouth.

Austin, TX $4,133
New Plymouth $2,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,753 in New Plymouth.

Austin, TX $5,603
New Plymouth $3,753

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 46% more expensive than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, New Plymouth 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$11.79 NZ$20.86

76.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$66.5 NZ$118

27.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.42 NZ$14.89

46.32%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.31 NZ$5.85

70.09%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.10 NZ$3.71

77.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.84 NZ$3.25

35.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$5.25 NZ$9.28

53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.51 NZ$9.75

63.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.46 NZ$2.58

-23.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.25 NZ$2.21

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.62 NZ$2.86

101.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.35 NZ$9.47

-22.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.48 NZ$9.69

135.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.23 NZ$12.79

95.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.60 NZ$20.52

39.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.45 NZ$4.33

76.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.90 NZ$3.36

-23.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.95 NZ$5.22

52.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$6.26 NZ$11.08

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.03 NZ$3.60

27.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.40 NZ$2.48

67.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.77 NZ$3.14

0.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.26 NZ$2.22

76.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$22.05 NZ$39.00

-55.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$8.41 NZ$14.88

79.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.90 NZ$5.14

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.76 NZ$6.65

-7.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-12.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$74.3 NZ$131

-43.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.61 NZ$6.39

-24.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-42.42%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.4K NZ$46.8K

36.35%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$22.6K NZ$39.9K

19.94%

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

$229 $229

$127 NZ$225

80.14%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$27.63 NZ$48.87

114.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$47.97 NZ$84.8

45.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.55 NZ$75.3

34.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.00 NZ$14.14

78.50%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$669 NZ$1,183

125.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.8K NZ$40.2K

-5.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$61.6 NZ$109

-14.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$38.35 NZ$67.8

14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$87.7 NZ$155

-3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$103 NZ$182

0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$911 NZ$1,612

109.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$853 NZ$1,508

49.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,719 NZ$3,040

113.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,542 NZ$2,727

64.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,136 NZ$5,547

142.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,566 NZ$4,539

23.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,766 NZ$4,891

85.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.93

14.50%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

New Plymouth

$853 46.8% 33.1% $421

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

New Plymouth

$279 15.3% 31% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

New Plymouth

$203 11.1% 43.4% $156

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

New Plymouth

$212 11.7% 40% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

New Plymouth

$131 7.2% 2.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

New Plymouth

$59 3.2% 31.8% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 44.3% $26

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 $911 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 85% 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 $67.0 in New Plymouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $279 per month, with New Plymouth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

58,400

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 New Plymouth 11,920 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Plymouth wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making New Plymouth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $911 in New Plymouth. 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 $1,821 in New Plymouth – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in New Plymouth runs roughly 78% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,821 in New Plymouth versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in New Plymouth but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.