Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Perpignan

For one person, living is cheaper in Perpignan: $1,575 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Perpignan
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Perpignan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Perpignan

🇫🇷 France

$1,575

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,575 in Perpignan.

Austin, TX $2,698
Perpignan $1,575

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,444 in Perpignan.

Austin, TX $4,160
Perpignan $2,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $3,312 in Perpignan.

Austin, TX $5,622
Perpignan $3,312

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 71% more expensive than in Perpignan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Perpignan 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$16.98 €15.13

21.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$73.3 €65.4

15.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$13.59 €12.11

-11.18%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.02 €2.70

81.46%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$3.35 €2.98

13.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.10 €1.87

17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.59 €5.88

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$4.46 €3.98

99.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.22 €1.08

-9.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.13 €1.90

74.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.95 €2.63

14.24%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$3.78 €3.37

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$11.75 €10.47

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$11.00 €9.81

28.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$17.88 €15.93

-8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$3.17 €2.82

43.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 €1.52

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.74 €2.44

71.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.42 €1.27

192.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.95 €1.74

32.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.55 €2.27

-7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.60 €1.43

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 €0.46

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$13.28 €11.84

-23.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.59 €4.98

171.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.38 €1.23

104.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.37 €1.22

151.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$37.28 €33.22

9.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$5.56 €4.95

-49.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.30 €2.94

-51.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$27.88 €24.85

23.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.14 €1.91

-56.07%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$34.3K €30.6K

-0.93%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$36.3K €32.4K

-26.36%

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

$223 $223

$187 €167

18.99%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$17.38 €15.49

238.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$25.11 €22.38

181.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$28.99 €25.84

99.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$14.26 €12.71

15.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$11.72 €10.45

21.67%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$352 €314

328.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$6,680 €5,954

212.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$93.6 €83.5

-45.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$52.9 €47.18

-16.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$114 €102

-23.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$135 €120

-22.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$564 €503

243.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$486 €434

170.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$891 €794

311.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$818 €729

213.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$4,214 €3,756

74.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,396 €2,136

30.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$2,458 €2,190

115.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.89

74.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Perpignan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Perpignan

$486 30.9% 63% $830

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Perpignan

$293 18.6% 27.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Perpignan

$230 14.6% 34.8% $123

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Perpignan

$277 17.6% 21% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Perpignan

$178 11.3% 38% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Perpignan

$52 3.3% 39.2% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Perpignan

$59 * 3.8% 2.5% $1.4

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 $1,940 in Austin, TX and $564 in Perpignan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $73 in Perpignan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $293 per month, with Perpignan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇫🇷 Perpignan

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

6 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

119,656

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Austin, TX Perpignan 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Perpignan

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 Perpignan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perpignan wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Perpignan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $564 in Perpignan. 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 $1,575 in Perpignan – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Perpignan runs roughly 9% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Perpignan 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.

Expats usually find Perpignan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.