Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
Learn more

Port Elizabeth Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Port Elizabeth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,233 in Port Elizabeth.

Austin, TX $2,704
Port Elizabeth $1,233

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,847 in Port Elizabeth.

Austin, TX $4,133
Port Elizabeth $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,461 in Port Elizabeth.

Austin, TX $5,562
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 119% more expensive than in Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Port Elizabeth is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.62 R 175

90.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$42.87 R 707

98.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.02 R 99.3

105.15%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.12 R 35.03

158.02%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.04 R 17.24

267.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.72 R 11.93

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.76 R 45.50

192.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.06 R 50.5

193.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.14 R 18.74

-0.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.04 R 17.10

263.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.44 R 23.78

125.69%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.81 R 46.33

47.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.58 R 142

52.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.47 R 90.2

161.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$8.28 R 137

92.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.11 R 34.80

107.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 R 25.46

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.61 R 26.56

181.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.78 R 29.43

135.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.73 R 28.56

52.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.42 R 23.46

66.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.29 R 21.27

36.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.01 R 16.70

113.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.13 R 51.6

213.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.82 R 79.6

205.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.25 R 20.63

122.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.82 R 30.06

91.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.09 R 17.96

36.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$36.08 R 595

12.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.12 R 35.03

25.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.50 R 8.20

216.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$8.45 R 139

317.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.45 R 23.86

-31.72%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$35.4K R 584.3K

1.10%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.0K R 561.2K

-20.10%

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

$219 $219

$123 R 2,024

78.73%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$35.08 R 579

65.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$45.22 R 746

51.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$31.88 R 526

81.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$22.73 R 375

-34.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.61 R 175

33.18%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$176 R 2,902

758.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$6,192 R 102.2K

246.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$70.6 R 1,164

-26.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$38.27 R 631

15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$110 R 1,807

-22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$96.5 R 1,593

9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$612 R 10.1K

215.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$418 R 6,891

204.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$805 R 13.3K

356.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$689 R 11.4K

266.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$750 R 12.4K

916.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$531 R 8,754

503.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,612 R 26.6K

216.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.94

-43.13%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 67.2% $855

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 51.2% $206

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 55.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 41.3% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 10.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 38.4% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 21% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $612 in Port Elizabeth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 217% 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $197 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,050,000

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Port Elizabeth 14,730 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Elizabeth wins on cost – living expenses run 119% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Elizabeth the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 217% 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 $612 in Port Elizabeth. 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 $1,233 in Port Elizabeth – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Port Elizabeth 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 $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.