Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Northam

For one person, living is cheaper in Northam: $2,498 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $2,498 in Northam.

Austin, TX $2,698
Northam $2,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $3,618 in Northam.

Austin, TX $4,160
Northam $3,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $4,737 in Northam.

Austin, TX $5,622
Northam $4,737

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 8% more expensive than in Northam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Northam 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$19.97 A$28.40

3.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$85.1 A$121

-0.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$10.55 A$15.01

14.41%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$4.48 A$6.37

22.32%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$2.84 A$4.04

33.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.29 A$3.26

7.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$8.30 A$11.80

-3.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$8.10 A$11.52

9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.74 A$2.48

-36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.58 A$3.67

44.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.98 A$2.82

70.20%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$4.48 A$6.37

-3.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$6.37 A$9.06

106.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$9.12 A$12.98

55.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.08 A$20.02

15.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.73 A$3.88

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.25 A$4.62

-55.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.44 A$4.90

36.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.92 A$6.99

-15.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.89 A$4.12

-10.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.97 A$2.81

19.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.25 A$3.20

-21.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.73 A$1.04

193.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$41.37 A$58.8

-75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$3.49 A$4.97

335.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$4.40 A$6.25

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.51 A$5.00

-1.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.92 A$4.16

-47.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$80.6 A$115

-49.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.53 A$5.02

-20.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.46 A$2.07

9.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$41.14 A$58.5

-16.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.35 A$1.91

-30.37%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$26.9K A$38.2K

26.55%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$29.5K A$41.9K

-9.15%

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

$223 $223

$196 A$279

13.69%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$24.09 A$34.27

144.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$64.3 A$91.5

9.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$56.5 A$80.3

2.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$17.81 A$25.33

-7.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$17.30 A$24.61

-17.57%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$2,328 A$3,310

-35.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$23.2K A$33.0K

-9.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$77.3 A$110

-33.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$66.3 A$94.3

-33.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$123 A$174

-29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$161 A$229

-35.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,391 A$1,978

39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,190 A$1,693

10.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,173 A$3,091

68.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,783 A$2,536

43.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$5,780 A$8,221

27.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$4,889 A$6,954

-36.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.91

14.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 9.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Northam

$314 12.6% 22.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Northam

$284 11.4% 19.3% $68

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Northam

$323 12.9% 7.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Northam

$192 7.7% 48.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Northam

$91 3.7% 5.6% $4.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Northam

$103 4.1% 78% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,391 in Northam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $85 in Northam. Groceries flip the comparison at $406 vs $314, with Northam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

08:42 8:42 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

6,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Northam 16,740 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Northam

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 Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Northam wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Northam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $3,747 in Northam 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,391 in Northam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $2,328 in Northam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 49% less than in Northam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Northam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.