Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Paola

For one person, living is cheaper in Paola: $2,086 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Paola
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Paola Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Paola

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $2,086 in Paola.

Austin, TX $2,663
Paola $2,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,108 in Paola.

Austin, TX $4,133
Paola $3,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $4,130 in Paola.

Austin, TX $5,603
Paola $4,130

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 28% more expensive than in Paola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Paola 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$19.50 €17.34

6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$86.7 €77.1

-2.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$13.16 €11.70

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.67 €2.38

110.86%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$3.04 €2.70

22.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.21 €1.96

13.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.47 €3.98

80.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.10 €4.54

76.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.34 €1.19

-16.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.30 €1.16

188.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.42 €3.93

-26.24%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.16 €3.70

0.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.00 €7.11

61.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.33 €9.19

37.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$18.58 €16.53

-12.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.27 €3.80

1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.70 €2.40

-45.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.68 €3.27

22.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.29 €2.93

31.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.45 €2.18

5.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.03 €1.81

15.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.28 €2.03

-21.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.29 €1.14

72.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$6.64 €5.90

48.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.91 €7.04

90.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.68 €1.50

73.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.35 €2.09

47.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.57 €2.28

-42.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$5.59 €4.98

-51.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.20 €1.96

-24.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$27.01 €24.02

30.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.54 €1.37

-38.31%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.7K €33.5K

-4.37%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$38.9K €34.6K

-30.46%

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

$229 $229

$102 €91.1

123.58%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$25.39 €22.58

133.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$42.44 €37.75

64.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$59.8 €53.2

-4.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.88 €8.79

44.53%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$359 €320

319.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.0K €9,795

94.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$86.8 €77.2

-39.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.15 €35.72

9.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$98.5 €87.6

-13.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$78.9 €70.2

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$1,294 €1,151

47.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,066 €948

19.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,778 €1,582

106.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$1,645 €1,463

54.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,598 €3,200

111.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,442 €2,172

29.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.9

134.14%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Paola: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Paola

$1.1K 51.1% 16.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Paola

$326 15.6% 19.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Paola

$170 8.2% 52.5% $188

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Paola

$281 13.5% 20.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Paola

$137 6.6% 7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Paola

$80 3.8% 7.2% $6.2

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Paola

$27 * 1.3% 54.2% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $1,294 in Paola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $87.0 in Paola. Groceries flip the comparison at $405 vs $326, with Paola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇹 Paola

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Paola 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Paola

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 Paola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paola wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Paola the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $3,129 in Paola 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $1,294 in Paola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $359 in Paola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Paola – a meal for two runs $87.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,086 in Paola versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paola but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Paola 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 Paola 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 Paola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.