Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $987 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
Learn more

Port Shepstone Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $987 in Port Shepstone.

Austin, TX $2,663
Port Shepstone $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,540 in Port Shepstone.

Austin, TX $4,133
Port Shepstone $1,540

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,093 in Port Shepstone.

Austin, TX $5,603
Port Shepstone $2,093

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 170% more expensive than in Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Port Shepstone is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.76 R 128

167.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$38.69 R 637

118.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.93 R 97.8

107.76%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.71 R 44.60

107.75%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.09 R 17.89

241.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.85 R 13.94

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.34 R 38.48

244.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.52 R 41.57

257.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.93 R 15.28

20.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.70 R 11.57

435.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.17 R 19.29

178.63%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.45 R 23.93

187.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.07 R 117

82.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.68 R 60.6

284.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.07 R 117

129.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.17 R 19.33

270.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.75 R 12.43

94.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.63 R 10.36

615.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.47 R 24.20

195.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.58 R 9.50

344.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.37 R 22.63

71.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 R 14.36

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.57 R 9.41

289.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.69 R 60.8

167.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.80 R 79.1

214.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.45 R 23.94

101.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.84 R 30.31

88.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 R 24.12

2.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.43 R 7.12

534.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.71 R 11.76

133.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.39 R 122

377.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 R 21.19

-26.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$34.9K R 575.6K

3.18%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$31.1K R 512.1K

-12.90%

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

$229 $229

$121 R 1,994

89.15%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.86 R 294

232.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$36.27 R 598

92.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.48 R 519

81.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.72 R 177

52.33%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.30 R 120

95.62%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$305 R 5,028

393.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,610 R 125.4K

181.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.7 R 885

-1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.34 R 500

44.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$96.7 R 1,594

-12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$82.3 R 1,355

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$386 R 6,355

394.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$358 R 5,893

256.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$734 R 12.1K

399.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$715 R 11.8K

255.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$884 R 14.6K

761.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$666 R 11.0K

373.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$3,023 R 49.8K

69.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.78

-42.36%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Port Shepstone

$358 36.2% 71.9% $916

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Port Shepstone

$143 14.5% 64.6% $261

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Port Shepstone

$175 17.8% 51.1% $183

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Port Shepstone

$137 13.9% 61.3% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Port Shepstone

$118 12% 7.5% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Port Shepstone

$46 4.7% 46.3% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Port Shepstone

$9.9 * 1% 83.2% $49

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $386 in Port Shepstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 69% 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 $39.00 in Port Shepstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $143 per month, with Port Shepstone cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

52,793

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Port Shepstone 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Port Shepstone

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 Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone wins on cost – living expenses run 170% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Port Shepstone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 69% 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $386 in Port Shepstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $305 in Port Shepstone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $987 in Port Shepstone versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone 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 Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.