Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Podgorica: $1,315 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,315 in Podgorica.

Austin, TX $2,704
Podgorica $1,315

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,079 in Podgorica.

Austin, TX $4,133
Podgorica $2,079

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,844 in Podgorica.

Austin, TX $5,562
Podgorica $2,844

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 106% more expensive than in Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Podgorica is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$11.18 €9.98

80.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$45.17 €40.31

88.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.73 €9.58

15.10%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.12 €1.89

158.02%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.52 €2.25

51.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.46 €1.30

71.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.06 €2.73

163.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.30 €2.94

172.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.33 €1.19

-15.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.02 €0.91

270.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.92 €1.71

69.27%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.61 €3.22

14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.80 €7.86

48.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$8.51 €7.59

68.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.30 €10.97

29.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.62 €1.44

170.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.64 €1.46

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.81 €1.62

150.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.33 €2.08

79.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.99 €0.88

165.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.02 €0.91

131.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.44 €1.29

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.83 €0.74

160.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.42 €3.95

121.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$5.71 €5.10

157.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.04 €0.93

167.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.71 €1.53

103.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.03 €0.92

44.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$33.52 €29.91

20.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.73 €0.65

265.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.75 €0.67

110.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$11.39 €10.16

209.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.91 €1.71

-48.17%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$30.1K €26.8K

19.06%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$26.4K €23.5K

3.08%

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

$219 $219

$126 €112

73.94%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$19.15 €17.09

202.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$31.45 €28.07

117.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$48.97 €43.70

18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.71 €12.24

8.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.51 €5.81

117.05%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$336 €300

348.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,417 €6,619

189.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$86.1 €76.8

-39.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$46.19 €41.22

-4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$98.5 €87.9

-13.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$108 €96.2

-2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$640 €571

202.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$485 €433

162.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,306 €1,165

181.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$989 €883

155.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,074 €2,743

147.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,329 €2,078

37.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,158 €1,033

340.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.22

30.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Podgorica

$485 36.4% 61.9% $787

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Podgorica

$229 17.2% 43.1% $174

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Podgorica

$185 13.9% 46.9% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Podgorica

$177 13.3% 48.9% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Podgorica

$152 11.4% 18.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Podgorica

$62 4.7% 28.1% $24

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Podgorica

$42 3.2% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $640 in Podgorica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 341% 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 $45.00 in Podgorica for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $229 per month, with Podgorica cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Podgorica 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Podgorica

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 Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Podgorica wins on cost – living expenses run 106% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Podgorica the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 341% 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 $640 in Podgorica. 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 $1,315 in Podgorica – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Podgorica runs roughly 21% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,315 in Podgorica versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Podgorica but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Podgorica 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 Podgorica 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 Podgorica gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.