Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,698 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Olten despite lower rent and utilities.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $3,049 in Olten.

Austin, TX $2,698
Olten $3,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $4,812 in Olten.

Austin, TX $4,160
Olten $4,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $6,576 in Olten.

Austin, TX $5,622
Olten $6,576

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 12% less than in Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Olten 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-37.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$122 CHF 100

-30.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-31.77%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-12.88%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-52.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-12.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$7.52 CHF 6.19

18.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-47.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-3.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-11.55%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-47.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-64.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$4.02 CHF 3.31

13.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-45.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.97 CHF 2.45

58.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-11.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.49 CHF 2.05

3.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.14 CHF 1.76

9.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-30.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.29 CHF 1.06

65.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-6.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$14.12 CHF 11.63

7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.79 CHF 2.30

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.25 CHF 2.68

5.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-70.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$107 CHF 88.3

-61.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-66.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-64.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-61.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-56.48%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-14.08%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-31.89%

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

$223 $223

$275 CHF 227

-19.14%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$32.97 CHF 27.15

78.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$47.51 CHF 39.13

48.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-28.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-32.13%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-49.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$143 CHF 118

-64.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-25.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$167 CHF 137

-47.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$210 CHF 173

-50.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$1,210 CHF 997

60.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$1,035 CHF 852

27.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,968 CHF 1,621

86.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,948 CHF 1,605

31.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-9.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.07

228.02%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Olten

$1K 34% 21.4% $281

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Olten

$617 20.3% 52.1% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Olten

$356 11.7% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Olten

$498 16.3% 42.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Olten

$261 8.6% 102% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Olten

$122 4% 41.8% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Olten

$160 5.2% 175% $102

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $1,210 in Olten. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 10% 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 $122 in Olten for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $617 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

17,280

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

CHF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Olten 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Olten. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Olten. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $1,210 in Olten. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $3,049 in Olten – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 162% less than in Olten. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

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

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 Olten 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.