Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Papeete: $2,321 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Austin, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,321

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,321 in Papeete.

Austin, TX $2,704
Papeete $2,321

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,432 in Papeete.

Austin, TX $4,133
Papeete $3,432

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $4,544 in Papeete.

Austin, TX $5,562
Papeete $4,544

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 17% more expensive than in Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Papeete 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$18.62 CFPF 1,983

8.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$93.1 CFPF 9,917

-8.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$14.59 CFPF 1,554

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.32 CFPF 354

64.76%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.71 CFPF 289

40.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$3.37 CFPF 359

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.34 CFPF 356

141.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.87 CFPF 412

132.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.43 CFPF 152

-20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.74 CFPF 291

37.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.65 CFPF 176

96.97%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$6.42 CFPF 684

-35.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$27.71 CFPF 2,951

-52.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$15.09 CFPF 1,607

-5.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$26.13 CFPF 2,783

-38.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.82 CFPF 513

-9.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.54 CFPF 270

-42.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$6.64 CFPF 707

-31.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$7.90 CFPF 841

-46.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.64 CFPF 282

-0.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.21 CFPF 236

6.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.76 CFPF 401

-53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.11 CFPF 118

94.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$12.92 CFPF 1,376

-24.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$20.89 CFPF 2,225

-29.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.80 CFPF 298

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.19 CFPF 339

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.92 CFPF 205

-22.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$9.22 CFPF 982

-71.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.47 CFPF 156

-32.65%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$18.6K CFPF 2.0M

92.02%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$28.4K CFPF 3.0M

-4.42%

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

$219 $219

$184 CFPF 19.6K

19.18%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$19.80 CFPF 2,109

192.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$69.0 CFPF 7,344

-0.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$84.2 CFPF 8,967

-31.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$14.24 CFPF 1,517

-0.77%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$467 CFPF 49.7K

223.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,465 CFPF 1.0M

126.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$69.4 CFPF 7,388

-25.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$72.9 CFPF 7,763

-39.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$77.8 CFPF 8,290

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.4 CFPF 9,410

19.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,342 CFPF 142.9K

43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$936 CFPF 99.7K

35.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,834 CFPF 195.4K

100.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,492 CFPF 158.9K

69.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$7,135 CFPF 759.9K

6.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$7,632 CFPF 812.9K

-58.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$2,195 CFPF 233.8K

132.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.5

50.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Papeete

$936 41.1% 26.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Papeete

$519 22.8% 28.9% $116

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Papeete

$281 12.4% 19.2% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Papeete

$273 12% 21.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Papeete

$139 6.1% 7.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Papeete

$113 5% 30.8% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 70.3% $40

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,342 in Papeete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 133% 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 $93.0 in Papeete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $519 per month, with Austin, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

21:18 9:18 PM

5 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.39 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.37 EUR).

XPF to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Papeete 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Papeete

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 Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Papeete wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Papeete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 133% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,342 in Papeete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $467 in Papeete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Papeete – a meal for two runs $93.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Papeete 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 Papeete 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 Papeete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.