Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Podolsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Podolsk: $975 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Podolsk
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Podolsk Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Podolsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $975 in Podolsk.

Austin, TX $2,698
Podolsk $975

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,519 in Podolsk.

Austin, TX $4,160
Podolsk $1,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,063 in Podolsk.

Austin, TX $5,622
Podolsk $2,063

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 177% more expensive than in Podolsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Podolsk is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$6.18 ₽516

233.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.74 ₽2,565

175.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$7.67 ₽640

57.37%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.84 ₽237

92.96%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.00 ₽83.6

280.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.59 ₽48.99

318.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.93 ₽77.7

765.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.46 ₽122

508.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.98 ₽81.4

13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.87 ₽72.6

327.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.23 ₽103

173.98%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.64 ₽137

163.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.04 ₽755

45.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.98 ₽416

184.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.27 ₽1,024

33.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.65 ₽137

175.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.48 ₽123

-1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.55 ₽130

203.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.63 ₽219

57.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.68 ₽57.0

279.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.37 ₽31.23

535.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.41 ₽118

25.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.40 ₽33.72

435.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.23 ₽186

352.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$7.45 ₽621

103.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.72 ₽60.3

291.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.07 ₽89.1

221.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.60 ₽50.1

156.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$36.76 ₽3,068

11.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.47 ₽206

13.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.20 ₽16.63

700.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$3.53 ₽295

872.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$0.85 ₽71.0

10.59%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$35.7K ₽3.0M

-4.94%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.1K ₽2.0M

10.90%

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

$223 $223

$104 ₽8,694

113.76%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$3.62 ₽302

1527.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$4.71 ₽393

1398.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$36.65 ₽3,059

57.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$23.98 ₽2,001

-31.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$7.15 ₽597

99.44%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$610 ₽50.9K

147.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$3,684 ₽307.4K

467.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$42.63 ₽3,558

20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$53.5 ₽4,468

-17.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$107 ₽8,968

-19.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$111 ₽9,224

-5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$470 ₽39.3K

312.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$318 ₽26.5K

313.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$893 ₽74.5K

310.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$584 ₽48.7K

339.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,258 ₽188.4K

225.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,519 ₽126.8K

105.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$1,217 ₽101.6K

334.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.75

-67.28%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Podolsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Podolsk

$318 32.6% 75.8% $998

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Podolsk

$189 19.4% 53.4% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Podolsk

$112 11.5% 68.1% $240

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Podolsk

$121 12.4% 65.6% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Podolsk

$141 14.5% 9.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Podolsk

$51 5.2% 40.9% $35

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Podolsk

$43 4.4% 26.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $470 in Podolsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 334% 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 $31.00 in Podolsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $189 per month, with Podolsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇺 Podolsk

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

223,896

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

RUB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Podolsk 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Podolsk

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 Podolsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Podolsk wins on cost – living expenses run 177% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Podolsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 334% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $470 in Podolsk. 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 $975 in Podolsk – a 177% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Podolsk runs roughly 12% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $975 in Podolsk versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Podolsk but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Podolsk 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 Podolsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.