Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Palapye

For one person, living is cheaper in Palapye: $572 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Palapye
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Palapye Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Palapye

🇧🇼 Botswana

$572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $572 in Palapye.

Austin, TX $2,663
Palapye $572

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $920 in Palapye.

Austin, TX $4,133
Palapye $920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,269 in Palapye.

Austin, TX $5,603
Palapye $1,269

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 366% more expensive than in Palapye, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Palapye is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.96 P 147

89.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.32 P 392

188.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.75 P 77.0

114.26%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.39 P 31.92

135.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.71 P 9.46

423.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.40 P 5.37

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.04 P 27.36

294.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.58 P 34.52

249.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.47 P 19.70

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.83 P 11.13

351.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.81 P 24.18

80.11%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.55 P 34.18

63.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.44 P 86.2

100.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.44 P 59.4

218.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$5.05 P 67.6

221.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.64 P 22.00

164.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.40 P 18.78

4.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.05 P 27.48

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.62 P 21.65

167.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.30 P 17.35

98.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.17 P 15.70

100.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.28 P 17.14

39.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.90 P 12.01

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.54 P 47.35

179.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.46 P 59.7

238.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.45 P 19.45

101.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.79 P 23.96

93.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.64 P 8.52

326.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.48 P 33.14

-33.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.99 P 39.96

1080.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.08 P 14.47

-12.04%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.7K P 263.7K

82.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.6K P 276.1K

31.23%

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

$229 $229

$60.9 P 815

276.01%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$18.59 P 249

219.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$44.06 P 590

58.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.07 P 81.2

135.26%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$126 P 1,688

1094.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$2,494 P 33.4K

760.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$48.20 P 645

9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.89 P 226

159.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$71.8 P 961

18.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$79.8 P 1,067

29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.33

-40.07%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palapye: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Palapye

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Palapye

$172 30.1% 57.5% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Palapye

$124 21.6% 65.5% $235

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Palapye

$153 26.8% 56.7% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Palapye

$98 17.1% 23.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Palapye

$12 * 2.1% 85.9% $74

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Palapye

$13 * 2.3% 77.8% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $29.00 in Palapye for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $172 per month, with Palapye cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇧🇼 Palapye

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

14:43 2:43 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

26,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 BWP = 7.47 USD

100 BWP = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇼 Botswana Pula (P)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 13.38 BWP (100 BWP = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 14.99 BWP (100 BWP = 6.67 EUR).

BWP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Austin, TX Palapye 14,510 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Palapye

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 Palapye: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palapye wins on cost – living expenses run 366% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palapye the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $857 in Palapye 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.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $126 in Palapye. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Palapye – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $572 in Palapye versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palapye but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Palapye 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 Palapye 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 Palapye gentler on the wallet – expenses run 366% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.