Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Oamaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Oamaru: $1,769 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Oamaru
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Oamaru Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Oamaru

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,769 in Oamaru.

Austin, TX $2,663
Oamaru $1,769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,802 in Oamaru.

Austin, TX $4,133
Oamaru $2,802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,834 in Oamaru.

Austin, TX $5,603
Oamaru $3,834

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 51% more expensive than in Oamaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Oamaru 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.87 NZ$24.53

49.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$67.7 NZ$120

24.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.18 NZ$16.23

34.20%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.30 NZ$5.84

70.61%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.33 NZ$4.12

59.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.78 NZ$3.14

40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.58 NZ$11.63

22.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.91 NZ$12.22

30.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.67 NZ$2.94

-32.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.28 NZ$2.27

192.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.50 NZ$2.65

117.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$5.48 NZ$9.70

-23.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.26 NZ$12.83

77.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.87 NZ$15.69

59.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.60 NZ$24.04

19.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.39 NZ$4.22

81.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.69 NZ$4.76

67.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.97 NZ$5.25

46.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.50 NZ$2.65

72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.33 NZ$2.35

76.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.06 NZ$3.64

-13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.70 NZ$1.24

217.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$24.24 NZ$42.87

-59.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.44 NZ$9.63

177.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.37 NZ$5.96

-13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$4.29 NZ$7.60

-19.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.49 NZ$2.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$89.0 NZ$157

-53.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.55 NZ$4.52

7.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.70 NZ$3.00

-2.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.87 NZ$49.29

26.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.58 NZ$2.79

-39.87%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$25.2K NZ$44.6K

42.78%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.2K

13.41%

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

$229 $229

$158 NZ$279

45.04%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$19.36 NZ$34.24

206.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$45.43 NZ$80.3

53.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$39.08 NZ$69.1

46.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.98 NZ$17.65

43.09%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$668 NZ$1,181

125.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

-1.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$56.4 NZ$99.7

-6.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.83 NZ$29.77

160.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$44.83 NZ$79.3

89.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$50.3 NZ$88.9

104.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$973 NZ$1,720

96.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$790 NZ$1,398

61.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,725 NZ$3,051

112.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,631 NZ$2,884

55.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,751 NZ$8,403

60.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,236 NZ$5,724

-2.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,926 NZ$3,405

165.93%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Oamaru: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Oamaru

$790 44.7% 38% $484

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Oamaru

$274 15.5% 32.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Oamaru

$223 12.6% 37.9% $136

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Oamaru

$241 13.6% 31.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Oamaru

$76 4.3% 40.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Oamaru

$59 3.3% 31.2% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Oamaru

$106 6% 80.6% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $973 in Oamaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 166% 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 $68.0 in Oamaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $274 per month, with Oamaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Oamaru

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

13,850

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Oamaru 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Oamaru

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 Oamaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oamaru wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oamaru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 166% 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 $973 in Oamaru. 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 $1,769 in Oamaru – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Oamaru runs roughly 113% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,769 in Oamaru versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Oamaru but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Oamaru 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 Oamaru 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 Oamaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.