Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $840 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $840 in Roman.

Austin, TX $2,663
Roman $840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,393 in Roman.

Austin, TX $4,133
Roman $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,946 in Roman.

Austin, TX $5,603
Roman $1,946

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 217% more expensive than in Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Roman is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.42 RON 49.30

99.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$33.99 RON 161

148.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.31 RON 34.59

68.54%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.43 RON 11.49

131.69%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.38 RON 6.54

169.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.06 RON 5.03

135.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.05 RON 9.69

292.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.17 RON 10.29

315.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.19 RON 5.61

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.66 RON 3.10

468.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.43 RON 6.75

127.97%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.89 RON 13.65

44.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.55 RON 35.72

70.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.72 RON 27.05

147.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$8.63 RON 40.85

87.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.07 RON 5.05

304.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 RON 7.15

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.42 RON 6.71

217.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.75 RON 8.30

148.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.72 RON 3.39

258.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.88 RON 4.16

167.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.88 RON 4.17

102.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.72 RON 3.41

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.62 RON 26.58

75.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$5.34 RON 25.25

182.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.97 RON 4.59

201.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.19 RON 5.61

190.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.76 RON 3.62

96.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$21.67 RON 103

92.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.66 RON 3.13

313.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.64 RON 3.04

159.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.04 RON 33.30

401.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.74 RON 8.22

-45.40%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

28.14%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$25.1K RON 118.6K

7.99%

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

$229 $229

$146 RON 691

56.85%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.96 RON 32.93

753.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.80 RON 36.88

796.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$37.11 RON 176

54.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$20.05 RON 94.9

-18.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.42 RON 30.40

122.43%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$295 RON 1,397

410.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$4,901 RON 23.2K

337.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$96.3 RON 456

-45.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$25.51 RON 121

71.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$61.4 RON 290

38.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$58.0 RON 274

77.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$213 RON 1,008

795.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$157 RON 745

709.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$605 RON 2,863

505.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$454 RON 2,146

459.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,862 RON 8,812

308.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,356 RON 6,413

132.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$820 RON 3,880

524.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.2

-5.69%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Roman: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Roman

$157 18.7% 87.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Roman

$176 20.9% 56.6% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Roman

$161 19.1% 55.1% $198

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Roman

$159 18.9% 55.1% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Roman

$109 12.9% 15.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Roman

$50 6% 41.8% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Roman

$29 3.4% 51.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $213 in Roman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 524% 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 $34.00 in Roman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $176 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

80,328

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

RON to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Roman 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roman wins on cost – living expenses run 217% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roman the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 524% 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 $213 in Roman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $840 in Roman – a 217% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Roman runs roughly 93% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $840 in Roman versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Roman 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 Roman gentler on the wallet – expenses run 217% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.