Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Qena

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,663
/mo nomad
Qena
🇪🇬 Egypt
$468
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $468 in Qena.

  • Austin, TX $2,663
  • Qena $468

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $746 in Qena.

  • Austin, TX $4,133
  • Qena $746

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,023 in Qena.

  • Austin, TX $5,603
  • Qena $1,023

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 469% more expensive than in Qena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Qena is 65% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.77 $20.77
$3.84 E£205
440.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.6 $84.6
$14.99 E£801
464.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.32 $12.32
$5.78 E£309
113.15%
Cappuccino
$5.63 $5.63
$2.00 E£107
181.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 $3.72
$0.50 E£26.78
644.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.18 E£9.56
1288.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.05 $8.05
$1.92 E£103
319.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.01 $9.01
$3.04 E£162
196.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 $1.12
$0.97 E£51.7
15.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 $3.75
$0.76 E£40.69
393.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.26 $3.26
$0.66 E£35.14
393.94%
Eggs
$4.17 $4.17
$1.93 E£103
116.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.90 $12.90
$3.15 E£169
309.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.16 $14.16
$5.61 E£300
152.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.22 $16.22
$9.89 E£528
64.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.33 $4.33
$1.48 E£79.2
192.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 $1.46
$0.52 E£27.67
180.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.51 $4.51
$0.41 E£21.67
1000.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.34 $4.34
$0.41 E£21.99
958.54%
Potato (1kg)
$2.58 $2.58
$0.34 E£18.28
658.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 $2.35
$0.39 E£20.87
502.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 $1.78
$0.27 E£14.25
559.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 $2.22
$0.18 E£9.69
1133.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.88 $9.88
$2.14 E£114
361.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.08 $15.08
$7.22 E£386
108.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.26 E£67.1
131.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.46 $3.46
$1.71 E£91.6
102.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 $1.49
$0.17 E£9.02
776.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.72 $41.72
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.73 $2.73
$0.37 E£20.03
637.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 $1.66
$0.21 E£11.18
690.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.30 $35.30
$1.26 E£67.1
2701.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 $0.95
$0.43 E£22.75
120.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K $36.0K
$31.9K E£1.7M
13.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K $27.1K
$21.8K E£1.2M
24.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 $229
$25.42 E£1,359
800.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.4 $59.4
$7.95 E£425
647.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.9 $69.9
$9.28 E£496
653.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 $57.2
$15.61 E£834
266.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 $16.33
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.28 $14.28
$3.39 E£181
321.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,506 $1,506
$101 E£5,375
1397.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K $21.5K
$598 E£32.0K
3488.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.8 $52.8
$19.95 E£1,066
164.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.82 $43.82
$33.52 E£1,791
30.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.8 $84.8
$123 E£6,579
-31.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 $103
$28.92 E£1,545
256.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,907 $1,907
$133 E£7,086
1338.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,274 $1,274
$79.8 E£4,265
1496.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,664 $3,664
$280 E£14.9K
1210.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,538 $2,538
$145 E£7,723
1656.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,614 $7,614
$709 E£37.9K
974.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,157 $3,157
$300 E£16.0K
951.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Austin, TX
Qena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,121 $5,121
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
16.21
-58.11%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Austin, TX
$1.3K
Qena
$80 93.7% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Austin, TX
$405
Qena
$138 65.8% $266
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Austin, TX
$358
Qena
$43 88.1% $316
Eating Out
Austin, TX
$354
Qena
$90 74.4% $263
Clothing & Footwear
Austin, TX
$128
Qena
$92 27.7% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Austin, TX
$86
Qena
$22 73.9% $63
Getting Around
Austin, TX
$59
Qena
$2.1 * 96.4% $57

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 $133 in Qena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $15.00 in Qena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $138 per month, with Qena cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🇪🇬 Qena
🕒 Local time
14:57 2:57 PM
22:57 10:57 PM
8 h ahead of Austin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
974,447
235,362
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Austin, TX Qena 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Austin, TX
  • Qena

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Austin, TX or Qena?
Qena wins on cost – living expenses run 469% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Qena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Austin, TX and in Qena?
You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $702 in Qena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Austin, TX compared to Qena?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $133 in Qena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Austin, TX and in Qena?
Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $101 in Qena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Austin, TX and in Qena?
Dining out is cheaper in Qena – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Austin, TX or in Qena?
At $468 in Qena versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qena but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Qena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Austin, TX or Qena?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Qena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 469% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Austin, TX vs other spots: cost of living compared

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