Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Palmerston North

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmerston North: $1,562 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Palmerston North
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Palmerston North Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Palmerston North

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Palmerston North

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,562 in Palmerston North.

Austin, TX $2,663
Palmerston North $1,562

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,537 in Palmerston North.

Austin, TX $4,133
Palmerston North $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $3,511 in Palmerston North.

Austin, TX $5,603
Palmerston North $3,511

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 70% more expensive than in Palmerston North, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Palmerston North 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.50 NZ$23.87

53.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$63.7 NZ$113

32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$8.80 NZ$15.56

40.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.13 NZ$5.54

79.87%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$2.36 NZ$4.18

57.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.68 NZ$2.97

48.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.43 NZ$11.38

25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.52 NZ$11.53

38.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.14 NZ$3.78

75.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.37 NZ$2.42

137.96%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.85 NZ$8.58

-14.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$6.41 NZ$11.34

101.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.50 NZ$16.80

49.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.78 NZ$19.06

50.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.54 NZ$4.48

70.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.23 NZ$3.94

-34.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.30 NZ$4.07

96.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$5.53 NZ$9.78

-21.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.41 NZ$2.49

82.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.86 NZ$1.53

173.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.72 NZ$3.04

3.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.75 NZ$1.33

196.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$22.06 NZ$39.00

-55.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.91 NZ$13.99

90.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.65 NZ$4.69

10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.78 NZ$4.91

24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.93 NZ$6.95

-62.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$82.3 NZ$146

-49.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.87 NZ$3.30

45.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.78 NZ$3.14

-6.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$16.63 NZ$29.40

112.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.64 NZ$2.90

-42.07%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K NZ$38.1K

67.15%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.9K NZ$42.3K

13.16%

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

$229 $229

$68.2 NZ$121

235.66%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$32.09 NZ$56.8

85.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$34.64 NZ$61.3

101.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$21.79 NZ$38.54

162.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.08 NZ$24.90

15.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$11.60 NZ$20.52

23.10%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,034 NZ$1,829

45.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,550 NZ$15.1K

150.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$69.5 NZ$123

-24.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.70 NZ$48.98

58.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$83.1 NZ$147

2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.5 NZ$146

24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$906 NZ$1,602

110.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$639 NZ$1,129

99.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,587 NZ$2,807

130.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,311 NZ$2,318

93.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,023 NZ$3,577

276.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,836 NZ$3,247

71.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,494 NZ$4,411

105.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.39

25.97%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palmerston North: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Palmerston North

$639 40.9% 49.9% $635

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Palmerston North

$283 18.1% 30% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Palmerston North

$135 8.6% 62.3% $223

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Palmerston North

$233 14.9% 34.1% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Palmerston North

$118 7.6% 7.6% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Palmerston North

$45 2.9% 47.5% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Palmerston North

$109 7% 85.3% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $906 in Palmerston North. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 105% 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 $64.0 in Palmerston North for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $283 per month, with Palmerston North cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇳🇿 Palmerston North

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

18 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

90,500

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Palmerston North 11,870 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Palmerston North

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 Palmerston North: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palmerston North wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Palmerston North the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 105% 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 $906 in Palmerston North. 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 $1,562 in Palmerston North – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Palmerston North runs roughly 97% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,562 in Palmerston North versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Palmerston North but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.