Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Pietermaritzburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,036 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg.

Austin, TX $2,704
Pietermaritzburg $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg.

Austin, TX $4,133
Pietermaritzburg $1,560

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg.

Austin, TX $5,562
Pietermaritzburg $2,083

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 161% more expensive than in Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Pietermaritzburg is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.91 R 130

155.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$35.62 R 588

138.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.61 R 92.6

120.14%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.29 R 37.86

138.86%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.16 R 19.12

229.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.97 R 16.08

157.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.24 R 36.89

259.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.56 R 42.25

251.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.33 R 21.88

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.00 R 16.45

278.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.74 R 28.78

86.78%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.20 R 52.7

29.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.93 R 114

88.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.96 R 81.8

188.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$6.57 R 108

142.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.02 R 33.40

116.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.90 R 31.31

-23.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.20 R 36.35

106.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.06 R 34.00

103.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.75 R 28.92

50.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.75 R 28.93

34.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.53 R 25.31

15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.09 R 17.98

98.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.01 R 49.69

225.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$3.94 R 65.0

273.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.38 R 22.72

101.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.80 R 29.70

93.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.84 R 46.92

-47.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$19.57 R 323

107.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.65 R 27.23

61.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.07 R 17.60

47.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.42 R 23.49

-30.28%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$26.7K R 440.1K

34.21%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.2K R 432.5K

3.66%

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

$219 $219

$206 R 3,398

6.48%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$31.68 R 523

83.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$36.96 R 610

84.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$43.95 R 725

31.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$3.03 R 50.1

389.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$4.72 R 77.8

199.36%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$181 R 2,993

731.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,207 R 85.9K

312.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$55.4 R 914

-6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$33.93 R 560

29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$116 R 1,910

-26.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$68.9 R 1,137

52.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$219 R 3,607

783.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$222 R 3,670

471.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$581 R 9,593

531.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$406 R 6,698

521.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,971 R 98.5K

27.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$149 R 2,455

2050.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,074 R 17.7K

375.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.67

-41.82%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4% 82.5% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8% 51.5% $208

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8% 61.9% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4% 20.6% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9% 4.2% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1% 38% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7% 33.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $219 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 375% 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 $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $195 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

618,536

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Pietermaritzburg 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Pietermaritzburg

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 Pietermaritzburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pietermaritzburg wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pietermaritzburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 375% 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 $219 in Pietermaritzburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pietermaritzburg runs roughly 107% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg 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.

Expats usually find Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.