Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Newcastle

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,056 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,056 in Newcastle.

Austin, TX $2,663
Newcastle $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,623 in Newcastle.

Austin, TX $4,133
Newcastle $1,623

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,191 in Newcastle.

Austin, TX $5,603
Newcastle $2,191

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 152% more expensive than in Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Newcastle is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.04 R 149

129.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$36.41 R 600

132.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.27 R 86.8

133.78%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.19 R 36.11

157.08%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.07 R 17.68

247.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.87 R 14.31

187.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.61 R 43.00

208.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.18 R 52.4

183.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.19 R 19.68

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.11 R 18.31

237.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.31 R 21.61

148.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.88 R 30.94

121.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.54 R 108

97.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.97 R 81.8

184.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.09 R 117

128.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.90 R 14.78

381.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.03 R 17.02

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.00 R 16.56

351.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.32 R 21.71

228.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.96 R 15.81

168.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.21 R 20.01

94.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.78 R 12.90

128.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 R 9.44

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.15 R 51.9

213.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$2.97 R 48.95

407.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.38 R 22.80

111.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$0.91 R 15.03

280.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 R 24.13

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.31 R 5.15

780.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.81 R 13.41

104.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$14.28 R 235

147.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.54 R 25.31

-38.31%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$35.0K R 576.4K

3.04%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$34.1K R 561.5K

-20.57%

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

$229 $229

$151 R 2,481

52.07%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$36.61 R 603

62.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$37.49 R 618

86.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.66 R 522

80.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.84 R 179

50.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.04 R 116

102.84%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$259 R 4,272

480.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,413 R 89.2K

296.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.5 R 881

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$32.63 R 538

34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$91.6 R 1,509

-7.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.8 R 1,363

24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$392 R 6,460

386.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$364 R 5,989

250.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$719 R 11.9K

409.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$718 R 11.8K

253.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$878 R 14.5K

767.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$645 R 10.6K

389.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.34

-40.12%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Newcastle

$364 34.4% 71.5% $911

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Newcastle

$153 14.5% 62.2% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Newcastle

$225 21.3% 37.3% $134

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Newcastle

$142 13.4% 60% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Newcastle

$117 11.1% 8.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Newcastle

$46 4.3% 46.7% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Newcastle

$10 * 1% 82.6% $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 $392 in Newcastle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $36.00 in Newcastle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $153 per month, with Newcastle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

363,236

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Newcastle 14,960 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newcastle wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Newcastle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,584 in Newcastle to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $392 in Newcastle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $259 in Newcastle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Newcastle – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,056 in Newcastle versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Newcastle but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Newcastle 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 Newcastle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.